Friday, January 30, 2009

{I've Got 2 Words for You}

Pudding Shots!

Well, that & Happy Friday.

I've got a full weekend ahead - so not a lot of time to "chat." Tonight's agenda includes a going away party for Lovely Lynn {who is moving to Tampa - jealous!}. Tomorrow is shopping with my sister & champagne for my late grandmother's birthday. And Sunday...the Superbowl, of course!

{EE!! Super weird picture!}
Needless to say I have lots of fun posts planned, but today will just be a "teaser" of a particular "guest" of my SB party. Mr. Pudding Shot.

More to come - have a great weekend!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

{Highlighters}


This post is going to be entirely about my apparent lack of understanding of the purpose of the highlighter. That's right, the colorful little markers used for "decorating" notes, books, or other literature.


{Ah, highlighters.}

The reason for this stems from a class I'm taking. Actually, a particular student in said class. She likes highlighters. In fact, she pulls out a different colored highlighter everytime my instructor starts a new sentence.

Is she taking notes? Or is she merely highlighting lines across blank notebook paper? I believe it is the latter.

{I watched her highlight every line of her syllabus in a different color.}

Do people take notes on a syllabus? Really? Isn't it already in note format? I believe we call this an outline?

I think everyone has gone a little overboard on the highlighters. Please, stop abusing highlighters. My eyes can't take it anymore...


Tuesday, January 27, 2009

{Springtime @ Target}

Lately, as I've been in & out of Target, I have been quite pleased to see all the lovely, colorful home decor. I'm sure you've all seen it, right? Their "Garden Party" collection of bright pinks, greens, & sparkling whites has me quite excited for the end of winter. Or at the very least excited to add a little touch of Spring to my apt.

I love floral prints.
{Lovely Conor} bought me the tray as a present a few weeks back. I would really like the pillows to add some color to my inherited sofa, but am considering having some made out of my own fabric choices. We shall see.

The lampshade though - that's a must have. Especially considering my current living room lampshade has a hole in it from a too-close candle.

If you haven't already checked it out, go now!

Monday, January 26, 2009

{Chinese New Year}


The Year of the Ox was the talk of campus today.
Okay, okay, I live in Omaha, Nebraska so most people were talking about dining out at Chinese restaurants, but still talking all the same!

The Ox is the sign of prosperity & success by the means of fortitude & hard work {like an ox!}.
I'm pretty sure we could all use a little prosperity right now.
It's also predicted that 2009 will be an honest & open-natured year.
{I'll let you translate that however you like.}

Now, like any good American, I will be celebrating with a little trip to the Rice Bowl, my fave Chinese restaurant in the city.
I'm sure it's completely non-traditional and whatnot, but hey, I like it!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

{Sunday Afternoon}

Don't Sunday afternoons send out mixed emotions? Sure, it's a lazy day, a day to read the paper & watch movies....but, it also signifies the end of the weekend, sigh.

I had a great weekend, apart from the migraine headache that came on late Saturday afternoon. Ick, it was awful. But I went to bed & slept it off in time to enjoy the rest of my Sunday. {And, it apparently snowed while I was in my deep sleep!}

{Our drink collection, just for the 2 of us!}
Before my winter nap Conor & I went to The Brazen Head, a local Irish pub & had a late lunch. I'm not going to lie, I was hungover from the day before {pretty sure he was too} so I ordered my usual remedy: a Diet Coke, a Bloody Mary, & water. Trust me folks, this is the best combo! My friend Chuck & I discovered this together a few years back. The waitress did tell us she thought it was kind of weird, though. Ha!

{Our steak salads, excuse me, MASSIVE steak salads.}

Enjoy your Sunday!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

{Book Swaps, Movies, & Workouts}

Let's start with the last one. I've finally got back in the workout groove, thanks to my friend Shelley, & am paying for it in the form of muscle pain. {I have muscles?!} It's good pain, though.

Yesterday we "played" racquetball, to which I learned I have absolutely NO talent for. My arms are so sore though, it's like when I first played Wii tennis & ached for days.

Can ya tell I'm out of shape, ha?!

Afterward, we watched a movie. Have you heard of "Be Kind, Rewind?" It's SO GOOD. I was not expecting this. It is super cute in a heartwarming kind of way {but not cheesy, at all!}, & really funny. I was so pleasantly surprised that I loved it.
Go & rent it this weekend - I demand it!

And to wrap it all up, Miss Barefoot in the Park is hosting a book swap. Yay! I ♥ getting new books for nothing. If you're interested, head on over there and sign up.
I've already planned to swap one of my books {Celebutantes} for Miss Sweet Simplicity's {Pledged}.

Everyone have a fantastic weekend!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

{Where have I been!?}

Honestly, it's only been a few days since I posted. Still, it feels like an eternity. Especially because I haven't been able to find a free moment to think!

In fact, I should really be catching up on Psychobiology notes.....

BUT, just a quick post to say Hello!, WOW for the great weather we're having {which will surely not stick around, boo hiss}, & to post a few pics from our Inauguration Party the other night. I know you all love pictures of me & my friends, right?

{My sister in her 'Obama' socks.}

{Conor & his "Obama" melt}
Normally I would have taken pics of the lovely creations everyone made.
Yeah, I was more concerned with drinks & television.
I can say that the tuna melts were AMAZING, the Cheetos...plentiful, and the beer...flowing.

A great time was had by all.

Alright, alright...back to the Endocrine system.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

{A Historical Day}


{photo courtesy of CNN}
I really hope you are all watching today as we have the honor to experience such a fantastic, monumental day in history. I'm currently watching President Obama arrive & prepare to take his Presidential Oath & am feeling very anxious & excited!

I also want to say.....

to the following gals for awarding me on their blogs! Callie Grayson, Running in High Heels, The Preppy Princess, All Things Southern & Preppy, quite contrary, Diary of a Southern Belle, & Leaving & Loving on a Jet Plane. I hope I got you all thanked!! I always appreciate the recognition from ALL you lovely bloggers! Your comments & posts keep me going throughout the day! You've shown me how much fun & how caring the blogging world can be!

I hope that you all have a great day in this fantastic country of ours!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

{Cleaning, Baking, Prepping...}

That's how I've spent my Sunday! Since tomorrow is a holiday I'd rather not "enjoy" it by doing chores, icky! Plus I'm tracking salt & sand from outside all over my beautiful hardwood floors.
I also baked some 'semi-homemade' Oreos. They're really cake-y & yummy. My mom gave me a bunch of random pantry food since they are traveling in Europe & Africa for 3 months. So, I had this box of Devil's Food cake mix & decided to make cookies! Here's how:

{1st, make yourself a drink}
1 box of cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
Bake in 375 degree oven 8-10 minutes.
Cool on pan 2 minutes, transfer to wire rack.


Then I just threw some icing between them to make sandwiches. Mmm, Oreos. I think I'll bring them over to my friend's Inauguration Party Tuesday night. And speaking of said party...

We've determinded a menu for the par-tay. We will be enjoying my sister's boyfriend's very special tuna melts {supposedly Tuna Melts are Obama's fave} along with some beer...PBR. Very All-American of us, no? I also found some fun little Inauguration Bingo cards that you can play along to Obama's speech with.

Now I leave you with another scene from my neighborhood of fun.
Here you see my downstairs neighbor's boyfriend's
{did you get that?} "things" being tossed out her front door.
Lovely.


Friday, January 16, 2009

{New Blogger!}

Without further ado, I introduce my lovely, talented friend Cassie to you all!
She has finally {after months of my harrassment}
created a blog called Happy Panda featuring her daily musings, yay!

{Cassie the Panda coming through to the world of blogs...}

Cassie is a fellow Clinique girl that recently moved to
Ames, Iowa to finish school at Iowa State University!
Please stop by her page & welcome her to our little world!

{Finally Friday!}

I'm so glad it's the weekend, & a 3-day weekend to boot. I agree with some of you other bloggers: this week has taken WAY to long to pass! And....it's finally warming up! 25 degrees is feeling like a heat wave! Well, it's better than zero, that's for sure.

So, what am I planning to do with my long, lovely weekend?
Tonight I am meeting up with my gorgeous friend Lindsey for some Happy Hour cocktails!
{here she is at our Derby party last spring...}

Speaking of hats...I saw this little guy on our dumpster this morning.

Yup, that's a sombrero.
I'll bet you didn't have a sombrero on YOUR dumpster this morning.

I also have a bit of shopping to do.
I still need a few things for school {neverending, I swear},
and to finish up my Pink Swap shopping.

What do you have planned for the l o n g weekend?

Thursday, January 15, 2009

{I Honestly Don't Know...}

...how much more of this weather I can handle. I'm sure lots of you have read about our horrid wintry conditions in the Midwest recently. It really is That Bad. It did not get above zero until after 1pm today! Awful!

I feel like a Russian.

I live in my Uggs, drink vodka & eat shrimp, & see only cold, barren tundra. Okay, maybe not so much the last one, but trust me, Omaha's not looking too pretty these days.

Send warm-weather-wishes our way, Please!
Now, off to watch Bush's farewell address...

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

{Worn-out Wednesday}

I hurt from Yoga yesterday. I suppose I should say it's "good pain," and whatnot, but I would be lying. No pain is good pain.

The temperature finally slinked {yes, slinked...I like to believe it actually feels bad about this} under zero degrees tonight. My response? Housebound, yoga-free, & waiting on dinner to arrive in the form of Conor. No, I'm not going to eat my boyfriend, but I am hoping he brings something home after work.

Lauren saved me from the cold today
& broug
ht gifts from across the pond!
The book is an old family fave {my friends will know it from the title!} & the candy is a bunch of hilarious {hello, Turkish Delight?} stuff you probably wouldn't find at the local gas station.

Thanks L & A!

Now, if I could just get someone to send this guy my way...
From CraftyHedgehog on Etsy!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

{Yoga}

Tonight I went to a yoga class with one of my best gals, Shelley. Okay, when one thinks of graceful, fit, lithe creatures, they may picture a gazelle or a ballerina perhaps. One definitely does not picture me, & this was made evident tonight!

Don't get me wrong, I ♥ yoga, I've just mostly done it at home alone or with a few friends. Ask Shel, I thought I was going to die. It was pretty funny.

I honestly wished I was at the pub with a few of these!

But tomorrow I will return & continue on my journey towards a healthier Piper & the ability to wear all the great clothes in my closet {that don't currently fit, sad!}.

Wish me luck!

Monday, January 12, 2009

{The Best Macaroni & Cheese}

And it comes from the old standby - the Joy of Cooking. {You can see how well-worn my copy is!} I've been craving some good mac & cheese lately, probably due to the horrendous blizzard/wind storm going on outside right this moment. Sure, sometimes a box of Kraft will do the trick, but when I want the real thing I always use the Stovetop Macaroni & Cheese recipe in my well-used white cookbook.

It's so amazing. Honestly. After you read this, take the recipe & make it.
Immediately. You will not be disappointed.

Stovetop Macaroni & Cheese {from Joy of Cooking}

Bring to a rolling bowl in a large pot:
12 cups water
1 T. salt
Add & cook just until tender:
2 Cups elbow macaroni {8 ounces}
Drain & return to pot. Add:

4 T. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Stir until well blended. Add & stir together until smooth:
One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
12 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 t. dry mustard dissolved in 1 t. water
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. ground red pepper {or to taste}


Set pot over very low heat &, stirring constantly,
bring mixture to the 1st bubble of a simmer, 5 to 10 minutes.
It should thicken noticeably. This may take several minutes.

Increase the heat slightly if the sauce is still soupy after 5 minutes,
but watch it very carefully.
Do not overheat or sauce will curdle!

Serve immediately & enjoy!


Voila! The finished result with some yummy grilled chicken!
Now, I believe you have some Mac & Cheese to make...

Sunday, January 11, 2009

{Recovery Sunday}

Due to activities such as those in the above photograph.

Now I'm just reorganizing my life before classes begin tomorrow & I lose all free time I totally under appreciate. I'm currently watching National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation, which isn't exactly the best use of my time...but I've got cleaning & rearranging the living room on my agenda for the rest of the day!

A special thanks to all of you birthday/weekend well-wishers!
Everyone had a great time celebrating my lovely sister - even Mikey, the cat!

Have a great week!

Friday, January 9, 2009

{Happy Belated Birthday!}

To my dear sister! Lauren just got back from a 2-week vacay to London & in the process missed celebrating her birthday w/the Americans, aka me & my friends. So, to make up for this tragic loss, we will be celebrating the day she was born a week & a half late all weekend long!

We've got a few special events planned & some not so planned. Clint returns to the big screen today in 'Gran Torino.' With Lauren being one of his biggest fans, this is def. on the agenda. We also have a special "session" of GonG (which I previously mentioned) set up for tomorrow, to honor our special lady.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!
I'll make sure to keep you updated on all my excursions
& school starts Monday, so that should be pretty hilarious, as well!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

{Dining Out Vs. Eating In}

This is one battle where I cannot name a winner. However, another of my NY resolutions is to stay in and cook more. I'm going for 5 out of 7 days per week. This is because Mondays are reserved for a local bar, Barrett's Barleycorn, & their 2 for 1 burgers. The Patty Melt is my fave!

I was too excited to photograph our food.
You can see our lovely waitress in the background though,
her dad coaches the local university football team!

The other night is kinda open for whatever may come up throughout the week. For example, a group of girlfriends & I have G.on.G. {girl on grill} where we each bring a course to share.

Some cupcakes I made for a past GonG night...
and my sister's hand going in for the kill.

It's almost like eating at home - I do cook something!

Conor pouring warm boxed wine into a glass with ice cube fish!
Notice how we like our alcohol w/dinner?
Conor & my most current dinner was paninis. We accented these with some lovely Bota Boxed wine. Actually not bad! And hilarious! I hadn't drank boxed wine since college until my sister recently introduced us to this guy. Trust me, it's no Franzia, ick!

What about you other lovely bloggers?
Does Dining Out or Eating In win in your life?

{Shopping, Shopping!}

I've spent the past 2 days shopping. Some was fun, some not so fun. Shopping not fun, you ask? Not when you're blowing $400 on textbooks. Ick. I'm sure a lot of you are going through the same thing right now, so we can at least be traumatized together!

Anyways, some of it was fun! I went to Target & finally got my planner. It's pink & zebra-y! I also got a little zip-up camera bag for my new Cybershot. It has a picture of a camera on the front that you can't really see in the photo & it's perfect! I also went to Border's to get a few books & found the Russian doll tea towels on sale. I think I'm going to frame them...

I also picked up some notebooks & stationary. One of my NY resolutions this year is to send more snail mail. I think that email, texting, & facebook-esque communication is fine, but nothing beats coming home to a letter in the mailbox!

More about my other resolutions to come...
I hope you all made it through & had a great first week of the new year!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

{Rain, Rain, Go Away!}

Okay, so it's not really raining here. It kinda rain/sleeted yesterday, but we're really dealing with snow this time of year. The reason I bring it up is that I want some rain boots! With all the slushy, soggy, messy weather I have to look forward to, I believe this is a wise investment.

Plus they are all currently very on sale...
The problem is...which pair?
My initial choice was the obvious - Hunter's.
They are the epitome of a classic rain boot.

But then I found these red Kate Spade boots.
Fantastic as well!
I like that the sole is a different color...

Finally there are these Marc Jacob's boots.
My sister and I saw a girl at Urban Outfitters a few weeks ago wearing them.
They looked so great in person. The color is also super versatile.

Alright girls {& boys!}...which pair do you think would be best?

Saturday, January 3, 2009

{2009!}

Well, it's finally here!. In fact, I've been so lazy that it's been 2009 for 3 days and I've yet to post about my NYE events! Bad Piper.

So, NYE? We had a great party at my friend Shelley's house.
People brought in TONS of food & lots of champagne
which is always a recipe for a good time.
Mmm, my friend Tanya even hand-rolled Spring Rolls. They were A-mazing.
We passed around Das Boot, my glass German drinking boot.
It always helps to get the party going!

About 1/2 and hour until the big moment we headed to our neighborhood bar where they poured rows & rows of complimentary champagne (aka cheap champagne, but champagne none the less!). It's kinda hard to see in the pics, but the plastic glasses all in a row were pretty impressive.

Conor managed to get a hold of a bottle.

Hope you all had a safe & fun NYE!! I'm looking forward to all that 2009 has to bring. I'm expecting lots of changes & exciting things to come my way, & I look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you!