Getting to Know You

I saw this on a blog I follow (a pretty good one, too) and thought it was kind of cute. Maybe it will give my very small audience a little more info about this silly girl and her blog. I encourage you to do it too!

from The King and I

Age: 23


Bed size: Queen


Chore you hate: cleaning behind heavy things: bed, sofa, refrigerator. Awful. And usually very gross.


Dogs: I grew up with cats, and currently have a pretty cute one named Scarlett. But I really want a dog, maybe a Corgi or an English bulldog. I think they're the cutest.


Essential start of your day: Coffee! Hot in winter, iced in spring and summer.


Favorite color: Blue. And stuff that's sparkly.


Gold or silver: Almost always silver...unless gold is what goes with my outfit.


Height: 5'7"


Instruments I play (or have played): I briefly played the flute...and I can play one song on the piano. That's it. Sad, I know.


Job title: Book publicist.


Kids: Eh. Not so sure yet. Ask me in five years.


Live: Currently....Novato, CA


Mom's name: Michelle


Nickname: Mal, moo, stinky (dad's nickname), monkey(dad's nickname)...maybe a few more, but I can't think of them.


Overnight hospital stays: Nope.


Pet peeve: tardiness and bad table manners


Quote from a movie: Most of the movie quotes I like are completely inappropriate, so I'll go with a poetry quote instead. It's one of my favorites and I think it's beautiful.

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all

Right or left handed: right!

Siblings:No biological siblings, but 3 stepsisters


Time you wake up: Weekdays: usually around 6:30, weekends: whenever I feel like it.


Underwear: I have a lot? Because I'm totally paranoid about running out. But it's all really cute, so it's okay.


Vegetables you dislike: None really. Sometimes I'll get sick of one and not eat if for awhile, but I like almost all of them.


What makes you run late: I am never late. Ever.


X-rays you've had done: Teeth


Yummy food you make: I make pretty good brownies and pretty good manicotti


Zoo animal: Zoos make me depressed. I don't really like going to them.

Pinned Wanderlust

Pinterest is amazing. But I find that I really shouldn't look at the travel pictures because it just feeds my wanderlust and desire to travel everywhere and see everything. I mean really? Look at these. How can you stand it? Can someone please give me a job where I get to go these places?

1.) Lebanon via  2.) Lake Como via 3.) Cayman Islands via 4.) Tuscany via

 5.) Switzerland via 6.) Portugal via 7.) Greece via 8.) The Philippines via

Linky Love

Some Linky Love in this fine Wednesday:
-- If you liked the movie Bridesmaids, you will love this gag real. It is definitely rated R, so don't say I didn't warn you!

-- I'm also pretty excited about the new show, American Horror Story. Check out the super creepy opening credits here.

-- right now I can't stop listening to this song and this song. Give them a chance, they're pretty amazing.

-- A post on stripey tops from my favorite stipey shirted blogger, Nat the Fat Rat. Doesn't this make you want a wardrobe of nothing but stripes?

-- Read this awesome excerpt of Mindy Kaling's new book. I'm so excited for it to be released next month!

Hope you're having an amazing week and happy Wednesday!!

Yummy Wednesday

I'm really trying to stick to the blog schedule, I forgot last week due to being sick. But now I'm back on track! Onto a recipe I love!

I've made this recipe a few times and I love it. It's really simple and makes for a great party dish or something just to have around and take to work for lunch. I got the recipe from Ina Garten and it's great because you can really use any vegetables you want! In addition to what the recipe recommends, I've tried artichoke hearts, squash, zucchini, and sun dried tomatoes, all delicious.

Ina Garten's Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo or rice-shaped pasta

For the dressing:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:

4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts), toasted
3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

ENJOY!

Las Vegas Favorites

So remember I went to Las Vegas? Now I'm finally getting around to posting some photos of my totally awesome and fun trip (even if I did get a cold). I took a lot of pictures, but I'm just posting my favorites, because otherwise it would be photo overload.

Enjoy!





Mandalay Bay pool...best pool in Vegas!

 

Circus performer at Moon

 

Playboy Bunny!

Las Vegas was loads of fun and I can't wait to go back!!

Books for a Monday

Books people! It's time to talk about them. I'll admit, I'm having to cut back on my reading because I'm taking an online class (for work) and that is now taking up my precious reading time (boo).

BUT! Last weekend, when I was sick and at the airport in Las Vegas, I needed a way to kill time until my plane left. I couldn't really eat anything, so I bought two books. And they were just as delicious as could be.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Do we really need to talk about how awesome this is? I watched the first season of the show and I decided I really needed to read the books. So I'm starting with the first, even though it is basically the show, but that's how we do things around here. I'm hoping I can finish most of the series by the time the second season rolls around in the spring.
But what is it about? It's about the game of thrones, politics of getting and keeping the throne in the Seven Kingdoms. It's an alternate world, with lots of characters and history...it's so detailed, I honestly recommend you check out the the series wiki to get more info...or you know, read the book. It's the perfect escape book, I really forget everything that's going on while I'm reading and get so involved with the characters and their world.


The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch
Creepy, gothic mystery set in 17th century Germany, during a time when witches were everyone's greatest fear. I just started this book, but I already love it. I think it may be a perfect Halloween read. I am only a few pages in, but I will give more details as I go along...I think it's going to be full of character and plot twists, torture, mayhem, magic...I'm excited!









That's all I got right now folks! Have you read anything interesting lately?

Update of sorts

Image via

Vegas, it was epic. At least for a first timer like me. I've got stories and pics from the trip, but I also got a cold, so they will have to wait. But I promise and update soon, friends. For now, I'm going to drown my sickly sorrows in a glass of wine and some Game of Thrones.

How was your weekend?

Obsessed much?

So I know I put this song on my Vegas playlist, but I had to give it its own post. I love it so much. I wish it never ended...enjoy!

VEGAS BABY

This weekend I am making my first ever trip to Las Vegas. I am so freakin' pumped! I'm only going for two days (Friday-Sunday), but I honestly think that will be enough. I plan on making it epic!!! Dancing, cocktails, pool lounging, dancing, cocktails, pool lounging. That's all I want to do and I'm gonna make it happen.

Packing heels, dresses, and bathing suits. Yes

So, for Friday's music (even though it is still Thursday) I was feeling the Vegas vibe, as in fun, loud, and music I can, as cheesy as it sounds, get my groove on to. Hope you love it!

Some fall reading perhaps?

Blog schedule: I am sticking to it. So, books. It should have been yesterday, but alas, kickboxing kicked my butt and I couldn't muster up the energy to turn on the computer. I instead passed out while watching The Bad Girls Club. I know. I know.

Gawker recently put out a list of new books coming for the fall, and I'm very interested in a couple of them, mainly these two:

Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton
According to Gawker:
"Beaton's a Canadian-born web comic artist who satirizes famous people from history and popular culture and places them in absurd situations. Marcel Duchamp "pushes the boundaries" of his breakfast, Jane Austen deals with a friend who asks if the writing she's working on includes any "hunky dreamboats," and Nancy Drew talks to a skull. Surprising! Refreshing! Not your mother's "Garfield"!

I love me some historical satire and humor. I think this will be a good when I am in need of a laugh on a cold, dreary day.

 

Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label by Bill Adler, Dan Charnas, Rick Rubin, and Russell Simmons
According to Gawker
"A silver-anniversary retrospective and oral history of the hip-hop record label that brought us LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Rihanna, and many other beloved American culture-product innovators. Founders Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons, label artists, and music executives share pics, flyers, ads, cover art, and anecdotes about the olden days. Annie Leibovitz pictures are in there, too."

I'm not even a big hip/hop rap person, but I find history of record labels and music history in general so fascinating. Especially one is important as Def Jam and it's contribution to the musical landscape.

Also, there are some books I've read that I always consider "fall" books. They have a darker feel, maybe a little gloomy and existentialist. I also strangely LOVE reading detective novels in the fall. So here are a few good ones I highly recommend.

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
Contains three short stories: City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room. I love Paul Auster, he also wrote one of my favorite books,The Book of Illusions, and his stuff is just so well written and absorbing...I can't even describe how much I love his work. Anyway, the trilogy is a series of short detective stories but not quite. They're kind of like meta-detective fiction or mysteries about mysteries. They also are kind of absurd and weird and you will definitely be thinking about them when you've finished the book.

The Spellman Files by Liza Lutz
A family of private investigators in San Francisco who are very close knit, yet highly suspicious of one another and actually investigate each other most of the time. So funny, so real. I read this one last fall and really enjoyed it. It's the first in a series, so I think this fall I will have to get the next one to get my Spellman fix. Oh and I defintely laughed out loud many times while reading this one.





Are you reading anything exciting right now? Or do you have an recommendations for a good fall book?

It Ended with a Fashion Show

This weekend I went to my mama's house for a quick day trip to see my aunt and uncle visiting from Texas. We ate some really tasty, home cooked food, hit up the Capitola Art and Wine Festival (there was a lot of wine...it was good), and had lots of good conversation.

On Sunday, I came home and got to walk in an Anthropologie fashion show! Thanks to my awesome friend Amy, who works there, for such a fun night! (And a little discount, some delicious food and champagne). Oh, and my outfits were pretty dang cute too! First one is pictured below. I covet that fur vest. It might just have to join my closet soon.  Hopefully I'll get some more pictures because it went by so fast, I forgot to snap a photo of my second outfit!

It was so fun to hang out with a bunch of girls, dress up in pretty clothes, and get my hair and makeup done! I know it's cheesy, but I felt so fancy and fashion-y, it was a great end to the weekend. I hope they do another fashion show, cause I'll be all over that.

How was your weekend?

Friday Tunes

I tried to get a playlist up last Friday, but failed. My apologies, but I wasn't at home and didn't have access to my computer. But today we have music!

I personally go through phases with my music. Like, I'll listen to only one CD or one Pandora station obsessively for weeks at a time. This summer has been no different. Right now, or for that last month or so, I've been listening to my Carole King Pandora station pretty much nonstop. I find that all the songs capture that laid back, end of summer vibe that I feel every August and September. So the playlist I made today features some oldies, but most definitely goodies, and I hope you enjoy them on this lovely Friday, as we say bye bye to summer (it was a good one) and hello to fall.

P.S. Last weekend was awesome, and I will be doing a recap post, I just need to get the pics off my camera. So it might be a little late. Just sayin'.

Hairstylin'

I'm trying this new thing where I actually take the time to make myself look pretty everyday. Because when I do, I realize that I tend to be much happier and positive. You know, that old adage "look good, feel good", well go figure, it's actually true.

I've never been the greatest at styling my hair. It's pretty thin and the most I would do in the mornings is blow dry with a round brush and go. Sometimes I'll straigten it or pin some back to make it semi-interesting, but nothing fancy. Well, now I take my showers at night because I have to get up so dang early, so the blow dry-and-go doesn't really work anymore. I also realized, after getting my hair cut and styled last week, that I really like how I look with curls. But I don't really have the time in the morning to curl it with an iron (plus that's bad for one's hair), so I started researching ways to curl without heat, besides the old ways of braiding it while wet (boring) and sleeping in pin curls (too time consuming).

This is where google and youtube come in. I did some searching ("no heat curls") and found some great videos!

This one is the first one I've tried. I think it's pretty cool, friends.

I did this last night and I really like it. I don't think I put enough hairspray, but I still think I look pretty cute.

I've also found a few more, I especially like the tutorials for new styles, like the sock bun (I'm dying to try this one because I love ballerina inspired buns).

I'm also into messy updoes, and I've never really known how to pull them off. But I like these two videos, and I'm definitely going to have to try them soon.

I just though this one was really cute, and this girl has a lot of great tutorials.

What I really wish was that my hair was a tad bit longer. I'm thinking of investing in some clip in hair extensions, since my hair, despite my best efforts, refuses to grow. But I'm also planning on dying my hair soon, so that may have to wait so I can make sure my colors match....have any of you ever tried clip ins? What do you think?

Shabby Apple!

I haven't written about Shabby Apple in a while, but I do still love them and their dresses. Right now they are having a great deal that I'm taking advantage of (cause now I have a job, therefore I have money)...15% off AND free shipping on all standard domestic orders. Um, I'm really stoked. Check out that little button on the side, the code is IVY. Love it.

They have a new line, Academia, and I'm loving it. I find myself in need of more office appropriate wear, and this stuff fits the bill.

I really like the Academia dress. I think it might be my favorite. I have a deep love of dark colors and I'm always happy when fall rolls around so it becomes more appropriate to wear them.

This dress has as slightly more open neckline, which works better for me, and I love the higher waist and pencil skirt (super slimming). I really like wearing skirts and dresses, but I've realized that pencil skirts and dresses are much more flattering on me than a fuller silhouette. And really, I just need to pull the trigger and stock up...maybe on a few Shabby Apple pieces. It's a new season, so that means new clothes right?

What are some things you are hoping to buy for fall? 

*I am a member of the Shabby Apple affiliate program, they are not a sponsor. But, if you do click through to their website from my blog and buy something, I do earn a little $$ (very little)

View from the desk

I realized I haven't spoken much about my new job, so I thought I would give a little update. I mentioned that I do publicity for books, and this is what takes up most of my day: emailing authors and radio stations/print outlets to set up interviews, mailing out promotional and review copies of books, gathering and formatting publicity materials (author bios, book summaries, new releases, etc) for mailings and our website. I'm also going to be doing some editing and manuscript design! Of course, I just have to learn how to use InDesign...which should be interesting.

But I really am liking my job. Each day is pretty busy and goes by really fast, which I really like. I'm constantly learning new things about the industry and I think I'm doing a really good job so far. I also feel proud that I'm able to do everything without any real experience in publicity.

Today is kind of a quiet day, probably because of the upcoming holiday, so I'm gonna give a quick glimpse at my desk. Is it strange that I'm excited that I have my own desk?

all those books on the shelf third from the top are books we have worked with (publicity or publishing). And that's only the last year and a half!

Pretty nifty, huh?

New Hairs!

What do you think of my new hairs, all styled and pretty? I'm loving it!

I've had some really bad hair experiences in the past, including a BAD bleach job and many too-short cuts (when I say an inch, I mean an inch, not three or four!), so I've been on the hunt for a new salon and stylist that I can trust, though I have been wary, reading lots of reviews of every single one I come across. So finding a good salon in the last couple years has been hard for me. I used to go to a salon in San Anselmo that I absolutely loved, but was just way, way too expensive. Since then I haven't found anyone I really like, until now.

I got a Living Social coupon for Salon B in San Rafael and I went last night for a wash, cut, and style. I loved it! Before I purchased the deal, I read a lot of reviews, and he has rave ones! So I went for it. Bishlan, the owner did my hair and I cannot say enough nice things about him. He was so friendly and he really listened to me when I talked about my hair issues (it's really fine and goes flat super easy). He gave me a great wash (with a head massage!) and cut fresh layers back into my hair. Then he actually showed me how to style it, how to put the volumizing spray, how to blow dry, how to curl, and then several ways to work with the curls in a couple of different styles. As silly as it sounds, I'm going to practice styling a little on Friday night because I really want to be able to do my hair this way for a wedding I am going to on Saturday. Practice makes perfect, right?

Anyhoo, just wanted to share my new hair, which I love. Hope you do to! And if you're looking for a new salon, seriously check out Salon B. It's awesome!