Thursday, December 15, 2011

Holiday Survey

another survey?!? darn right! ;-)
another survey from my girl Julie, so you know it's good!

25 QUESTIONS: HOLIDAY STYLE!


1. egg nog or hot chocolate?
egg nog...the grown up kind ;-)


2. does Santa wrap presents or just leave them under the tree?
Santa doesn't have time to wrap!


3. colored or white lights on the tree/house?
colored for the tree, white for outside


4. do you hang mistletoe?
my grandmother used to and it was always a huge novelty to me!


5. when do you hang your decorations?
my mom is the decorating queen, so, whenever she starts. which is usually before Thanksgiving!


6. what is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert) ?
stuffing!


7. what is your favorite childhood holiday memory?
breakfast at my Gram & PaPa's house.


8. what is on your Christmas wish list this year?
This bad boy:




















If not, I'm kinda in love with this jacket:
























9. do you open presents on Christmas Eve?
my sister and I always get to open 1 present each on Christmas Eve. And it's always Christmas pajamas!


10. how do you decorate your Christmas tree?
My dad does the lights. My mom, sister and I do the decorations. And my sister always tops the tree.


11. Snow: love it or loathe it?
Love the first few flakes...There really is nowhere more beautiful to experience Fall and Winter than in New England, IMO. But by February and sometimes as late as March, I'm over it!


12. real or fake tree?
Real! Nothing beats that pine-y smell.


13. what is your favorite holiday dessert?
Brighams frozen pudding 






















14. what is your favorite tradition?
Going to Christmas Eve Mass with my family.


15. what tops your tree?
An angel. My sister always puts the angel on top.


16. do you  prefer giving or receiving?
Giving! I love giving gifts, especially when I know it's something the person really wanted.


17. candy canes: yuck or yum?
not my favorite.


18. favorite Christmas movie?
It's a Wonderful Life. hands down.
"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings!"






















19. what do you leave for Santa?
milk & cookies...And a carrot for Rudolph

20. do you have a Christmas morning tradition?
we (still) sit at the top of the stairs and then race down to our respective "sides" of the tree.


21. do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?
after working 2 Christmas seasons in retail, online is absolutely my preference!


22. Christmas letter or Christmas card?
I love getting (and sending) both, but picture cards are great :-)


23. do you remember your all time favorite gift?
Teddy Ruxbin...anyone remember Teddy Ruxbin?!?
























24. what is your favorite part of Christmas?
The night before Christmas


25. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?
FAMILY.


*Apologies (again) for not being the bloggiest blogger on the block. I plan on posting a lot more, even though things are a whole lot busier lately. I've got some recipes to share and a few other things. 10 days til Christmas, Hope you're making them very merry! xoxo


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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Good Things Come in...Fours?

You all know how much I love surveys--And if you didn't know, now you do--Thought I'd break my little blogging hiatus with this fun little survey from one of my new fave bloggers Ashley



1. Four TV Shows I Watch
-Gossip Girl - You know you love it. xoxo...
-Gilmore Girls- I love watching re-runs on soapnet! It's a Sunday morning Mk thing ;)
-One Tree Hill-See above!
-The Biggest Loser-best enjoyed with a bag of hershey kisses

2.  Four Things I’m Passionate About
-My family
-My friends
-Writing
-Being "in the moment"
...Oh, and coffee. I love coffee like most people love breathing.

3.  Four Phrases/Words I Use A Lot
-”nice!"
- “sweet!”
-”delish!”-Annoying, right? 
-”wicked_____” -If you're from Massachusetts, you know that "wicked" is an acceptable adjective before ANY word (ie: wicked good, wicked fun, wicked cool. You get the idea.)

4.  Four Things I’ve Learned In The Past
-Gratitude. Being thankful for all you have is an amazing way to start your day.
-That biology is only one way a family is defined.


-Getting "unplugged" (shutting off the cell phone, etc.) is incredibly freeing
 -Never stop learning!
5.  Four Places I’d Like To Go
-Paris
-Australia/New Zealand
-Chicago
-New Orleans

6.  Four Things I Did Yesterday
-went to the gym
-went to work
-trimmed the tree with my family
-started to re-read Breaking Dawn

7.  Four Things I Love About Winter
-The whole month of December! My mom & dad's Wedding Anniversary, Christmas Eve, CHRISTMAS DAY...
-My Birthday (The best part of January, IMHO)
-Breaking out the winter wear (especially my Uggs!)
-Staying in and Staying warm! 



Ok guys, there's my ice breaker. More on my absence in a  few!

xoxo

Mk




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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Halloween

I know I'm a few days late on this post, but, Happy Halloween anyway!

Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I have a serious love for the holidays and Halloween just happens to be one of my favorites. I love eating candy, handing out candy, going to Salem, giving myself a good scare, and most of all...I love dressing up!

Ever since I was a little kid, I've put a lot of thought and time into my Halloween costume.
My mom, who loves Halloween herself, actually hand made most of my and my sister's costumes.

But now that I'm a grown up (and I use that term pretty loosely) I've only become more fanatical about it.

This year, my now, ex-boyfriend Paul, decided to be "Aldous Snow" a.k.a Russell Brand.
So, naturally, I decided to go as Katy Perry. There was a lot of debate over which version of the bubblegum pop princess I was going to try and recreate...

Would I wear my hair blue?

too short.

too...blue

Katy pulls it off a lot better than I do.




Eventually I decided to go with the "purple-pink" wig that she wears in the California Gurls video.




Now this is more my color...

Yes!

As for the costume, I went more the home-made route, with mom's help, of course.
And in the interest of saving a few bucks, I didn't buy an adult costume. Instead, I found a "candy land" dress in the kids section of the costume shop and was thrilled to find that an extra large kids fit me perfectly!




To complete the look, I wore white fishnet stockings and a pair of magenta pumps and some jewelry and accessories found at Burlington Coat Factory. Again, my mom did that part.
I also added some candy necklaces and bracelets!



For make-up, I wore...A lot of it!
Full face make-up with super long false lashes, winged eyeliner and a matte magenta lipstick.




And the best accessory?


An AWESOME Russell Brand lookalike boyfriend!



He did good!



(But I did better!)

Paul, Luke, Mk

What a great time! Here are some other notable Halloween looks from friends...


Becca & Justin

Talena & Mk

Oh, and of course, Fitz dressed up!







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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

These are a Few of my Favorite Things

In Pictures


1. The start of a new month


2. Gingerbread Coffee



3. Boots & Sweaters



4. Thanksgiving & Giving Thanks



5. The Bieb's new single "Mistletoe"



...I could go on and on!

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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The Guinea Pig


According to www.match.com 1 in 5 relationships start online. 

The people at match also gaurantee that when you join, you'll meet someone special in six months.

Ever the skeptic, but also curious, I decided I'd give them one.
So, after consulting a few girl friends, I signed up for a 1 month subscription on match.com.
I figured that, best case scenario, I'd have a a few fun dates and maybe hit it off with someone. 
Worst case? I'd go on some truly awful dates and come away from the experience with a few good stories!

I wasn't exactly stoked to get started, I'll admit. I rarely checked messages and so-called winks.
I corresponded with a few guys who seemed pretty cool, but didn't have the nerve (or enough interest) to go out and meet any of these guys in public. I'm a great flirt, but beyond that, I'm not willing to invest much time in someone or something that doesn't completely intrigue me. I know that sounds bad, and the admission takes a lot!

On a whim, I led the cursor on my computer hit a button that said "reverse match" 
(meaning, someone looking for someone like me)
The first picture I saw caught my eye. He was a handsome guy with dark hair and green eyes. He didn't have an overly embellished or detailed profile, and his looking for was pretty simple: a nice girl. I saw that he's from Ireland, which piqued my interest further...Gerard Butler in P.S. I Love You, anyone?

So, I winked.

Less than an hour later, I had an e-mail from the Irish import.
Less than a week of e-mails later, I got a text.
And in less than two weeks on match.com, I had a date.

The first actual "online dating" date I went on was pretty great.
The second date was even better.
The the third? Awesome

So, for almost month now,  I've been dating this guy:

Meet Paul



On our fourth date, Paul asked me to be his girlfriend, thus making us a real couple.
...I surprised even myself when I said yes.



Paul and I

Paul is sweet, funny, attentive and kind. He is unflinchingly honest, which is (I think) a big reason why I was so drawn to him. From the first time we spoke, I never felt a need to hide who I am, thanks in large part to his own honesty about who he is. I'm never wary around him. My hand slips easily into his without any thought or effort. I love when he touches the small of my back or puts his arm around me, 
or when he kisses me hello or good-bye. Mainly because I know it's genuine, but also because I'm just as crazy about him as he seems to be about me. I love the smell of his clothes and the stubble on his chin. I love his accent and the way it sounds to hear him refer to me as his girl. We're still in the honeymoon phase. You know, the part of a relationship where everything is new and exciting and everything your sweetie does is just so darned adorable. But honeymoon phase or no, I'm just enjoying the ride.


The verdict?
Online dating is pretty much the same as "regular" dating. There's are people from all walks of life. You're not going to connect with everyone, and just because a computer survey tells you that you're compatible with someone, you aren't neccesarily going to be. But, then again, maybe you hit it off with someone awesome. It's one of those don't knock it til you've tried it things. I'm certainly glad I tried it.

So, is this *it* for me? Is this thing the real deal? Is it true love?

Stay tuned...

Oh, and PS: Gerard Butler is Scottish, not Irish.
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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Fives


Fives

Stole this fun little survey from Julie over at PB Fingers! The survey theme? The number five! Let’s get to it!
Last five people I talked to on the phone:
  1. My mom
  2. Paul
  3. Voicemail (I listened)
  4. Em
  5. My boss, Kellie
Last Five Meals I Ate:
  1. Apple pie (late dinner on the run)
  2. Pizza, home made topped with fig spread, goat cheese, apple slices and arugala. 
  3. Bowl of cheerios with milk + a sliced banana
  4. A banana with almond butter
  5. PBJ
Last five places I’ve traveled:
  1. Los Angeles, CA
  2. York, ME
  3. New York, NY
  4. New Hampshire
  5. Las Vegas, NV
Next five places I will go (outside of my hometown):
  1. Brighton
  2. ???



Last five workouts:
  1. Kickboxing (last night)
  2. Yoga at home, On Demand
  3. Kickboxing (Monday night)
  4. Jog at the beach w/ Dad
  5. Kickboxing (Saturday morning)
Five things making me happy right now:
  1. Having my Friday on a Thursday
  2. The apple pie in the kitchen
  3. Pay Day!
  4. Getting all dolled up tomorrow
  5. Date night with Paul on Saturday!
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Friday, September 2, 2011

Afternoon Delight

I've got a secret.

I've been spending my free week day afternoons in a very non-productive way. Since I've been working odd shifts, I often find myself free on a random Tuesday or Wednesday with nothing at all to do. So, I decided to do something I love to do...

go to the movies!






O.K. not the biggest revelation in the world, but it's a little treat to myself.
Some gals wouldn't feel comfortable going to a movie alone. But, what if your friends or your date doesn't want to see the movie you do? If there's a chick flick or an indie film you really want to see, I say, go for it!



And when you're on a budget, you can't beat a matinee...


I've found a new guilty pleasure that I don't feel the least bit guilty about. And it's not just being able to eat a large bucket of movie-theater popcorn without having to share (though that part is pretty awesome)
it's about escaping the stresses of the world for a few hours, getting out of the traffic, getting out of your head, and just enjoy a good show.



As author Robert McCammon once said:

When people get weepy at movies, it’s because in that dark theater the golden pool of magic is touched, just briefly. Then they come out into the hard sun of logic and reason again and it dries up, and they’re left feeling a little heartsad and not knowing why. When a song stirs a memory, when motes of dust turning in a shaft of light takes your attention from the world, when you listen to a train passing on a track at night in the distance and wonder where it might be going, you step beyond who you are and where you are. For the briefest of instants, you have stepped into the magic realm.

That’s what I believe. 








...I couldn't agree more.

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Friday, August 26, 2011

I'm Still Here!

...I've just been on hiatus!

Can't wait to update as we say good-bye to summer & welcome my very favorite season
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Monday, July 25, 2011

The Great Fundraising Act

The Great Fundraising Act






If you are active in the blog community, you’ve likely heard Susan’s story. Susan is the amazing healthy living blogger behind the blog The Great Balancing Act, a personal trainer and a phenomenal woman. She was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and has incurred monthly medical bills of $5,000.


If you’d like to read more about her story on her blog, you can click here.


Fellow (awesome) blogger & friend Janetha  of mealsandmoves organized a fundraising auction to raise money to help Susan with these expenses. Companies and bloggers from all over have donated goods to the auction, which you can check out here: here...or read below!


All you have to do to place a bid is comment in the comment box with the amount of your bid. 


A more detailed explanation of the rules and logistics of the auction can be found here: The Great Fundraising Act.


The auction is taking place now, from 8 a.m. (EST) to 11 p.m. (EST) If you don’t want to bid on anything, you can also make a monetary donation. 




To make a monetary donation, you can use PayPal, a bank account or any major credit card to donate to The Great Fundraising Act, simply by clicking below...
 


(I plan on making a donation and bidding because everything looks so darned good!)




Here's a list of everything, I mean everything offered...




Blogger Baked Goods



Baskets & Bundles:
Food & Beverage:
Fitness Related:
Books:
Travel & Entertainment:
Beauty Products:
Clothing & Accessories:
Gift Cards/Certificates:
Kitchen Related:
For The Home:
Online Services:


Thank You to everyone who is helping out with this great cause, and an even bigger Thank You to Julie and Courtney for getting me informed about it!




***All proceeds will go directly to Susan***

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