And this...

is what the end of the day looks like!

The middle of the week has come and gone!  Happy hump day!

Things that make me laugh...

Who wore it best?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/who-wore-it-best-the-bread-necklace

Listening to...

A rainy day is perfect for Miss Regina...

Fidelity

 For dessert...

Us

Holiday wear - building lobby edition.

 Nothing is better than working in NYC during the holidays.   And I mean, nothing.  Ever. (So there!) 

Usually the city is plain CRAZY to maneuver through on the way to work.  There is an infinite amount of obstacles just waiting to take you down, but somehow when the buildings are all gussied up in their Christmas-y finest, getting body checked, trampled, and yelled at (by the one inevitably crazy lady standing between you and the lobby door) seems totally worth it.  And it is!  Because a) I have to be there anyway and b) these things make us more well rounded.  Right?  Body check, anyone?

Listening to...

It's a little sad (and even more old), but it's got one of my two favorite things...piano!

Red Jumpsuit App - Cat and Mouse

(My other favorite is whistling. Ex. Peter Bjorn and John - Young folks)

HOME-GROWN: Grinch Tree

Tis the season for...Grinch Trees!

While they may look as though they've traveled straight from the cave where the Fraggles once rocked, they're actually right at Home Depot in the landscaping/tree/outdoorsy area.  And they're perfect for pretty-ing up your house this time of year!

Purchased from: Home Depot

Time Required: under 10 minutes

Must Haves: Shovel, Grinch tree, and a place to plop it.

We really need to rake.

Please note the pup in the doorway. Always guarding...

HOME-GROWN: Fancy fancy Chandelier 2

Since the lighting in our house is seriously busted, I've become quite determined to salvage, paint, and repurpose what I can.

First up...our old brass front door chandelier. 

Purchased:  White spray paint and rounder, quirkier light bulbs to replace the old drippy candle ones.

Time required: Overnight - to allow time for the paint to dry.

Must haves: Top Chef playing in the back ground, striped pajama pants, a tiny dog for quality checking purposes and a touch of patience.  It's just hard to wait when the end result looks so undeniably cool and the paint is still too wet to touch.

Framed.

I love books.  (Enough so, that I've written one - insert Diary Girl plug here)  So in an era ruled by Kindle's and Nook's, I figured what better way to pay homage to my favorite ones, than by framing some of the best pages!  Plus, it gives people something to do while they're waiting on me to get ready or inevitably searching every single room for my my purse before leaving the house - how do I always drop it in a different place each day?!

I started with a couple pages from The Giver...

HOME-GROWN: Fancy fancy Chandelier 1

This chandelier was a PAIN to put up in our nearly 100 year old house, but it was also well worth it due to the dazzling, copious amounts of shiny glass droplets.

Purchased from: Pottery Barn & Home Depot (ceiling medallion)

Time required: HOURS...and hours...and hours (they individually wrapped each glassy droplet!)

Must haves: Patience, actual tools, and wine. Lots of wine.

Listening to...

Queen - Killer Queen

My first book.

I wrote a book.  And it was hard.  It sucked me dry and it took a long time.  Like, a really really annoyingly long time.  Nobody tells you about that part of writing a book, how long it will take.  All anyone says is that it's "hard" or "worth it" or "such a great creative release," but they don't say, "Oh you're writing a book?  That takes a long ass time," because like all things in life - things in the past are but a distant memory.  Once you get past it, you forget the pain. You forget the struggle.  You lie to yourself and think it was great and totally worth it.

Clearly, I'm not there yet.

Although my book hasn't been published yet, I still have to believe it will be.  I mean, it took so long to write, it has to be.  There really is no other option. Not for me, anyway. 

My book is a compilation of my very own high school diary entries as I navigate my way through the 4 most confusing years of my life.  Diary Girl is a tale of self-exploration, insecurity, and learning.  It is my life, but in a way it could be anybody's.  So, I guess that's why I did it.  And I guess that's why I'm starting this blog, too.  Because no matter how old I get, I'll always be a diary girl, through and through.

I am a diary girl.  This is my life.