We'll See What Ikea Offers

Independently, without my provocation, Michael told me that he wants "one of those flat beds" that we saw at "that store" in Reston. I took that to mean he wants a platform bed that he saw at Pottery Barn, only I think he really meant West Elm at Tyson's.

So platforms beds are a go!

I still really like the one I saw at Jesse in Tyson's Galleria.


Doesn't it look like a fancy Ikea?

Isn't it pretty? So pretty?


I still think I might be able to DIY my own but Michael was very iffy on the idea. Then again, Michael is iffy on all DIY ideas because he wants everything done "right" and he knows we're not exactly Mr. and Mrs. Fix It.

After taking a closer look I do see that it's not just a mattress on a platform. There's a mattress sized hole where the mattress sits which leads me to think that Jamie might be right about slippage issues.


Changing the sheets must be a pain.

I Said I Liked It, Not That It was Good

I quit music a few months ago. I guess that was a big, red, waving, sign that I needed to leave my old job; modern music appreciation was a big part of my job description. After almost five years of appreciating every kind of "post", "progressive", and "core" genre of music out there I just had it. One day I found myself tuning into WTOP 103.5 and never looking back. I gave my iPod to Michael and it's been nothing but news, weather and traffic ever since...

Until recently...

I've been craving music recently but Michael's really enjoying my iPod so I don't feel right taking it back. Instead, I'm listening to the radio and, well, I won't complain about the sorry state of radio because everyone knows it sucks. However, there is one song that I do like and, lucky for me, it's one of those songs that every other station plays every thirty minutes: Far East Movement's "Like a G6".



Yeah, yeah, I know, I know... The beats are super repetitive, the lyric is ridiculously shallow, and WTF is "slizzard". What can I say, it's catchy and not every song has to be some really deep, well structured, mind blowing reflection of my life.

I'm also starting to like Usher's DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love Again.



It reminds me of my last after party at the MM. Normally, the after party is kind of lame but that year everyone was dancing. This song was playing that night and I remember looking around and there were tons of (drunk) people on stage (including "Dead Mau5"), every one was having fun, strobe lights were going off. I had a very strong feeling that I wouldn't be back next year and this was the song that was on when I decided to just really remember the experience.

Christmas Wish

If Santa were real this is what I would have asked Santa for Christmas:


A La Cornue CornuFe Stove in Provence Blue from William Sonoma for $8,600 (plus a $1,300 delivery fee, not to mention the professional they recommend you hire to install the thing). It's too wide to fit into our kitchen without some serious remodeling but if Santa could afford this range, I'm sure Santa can also afford to pay for my remod.

The Novelty Wears Off Quick

I know several people who have bought bread makers but I don't know a single person who still has a bread maker; I can see why. In theory, it sounds great- dump some ingredients into a machine, press a button and, voila! Cheap, healthy, fresh, home made bread, how fantastic!


In practice it's not so great. It takes over 3 hours to make, the bread is an odd size, the machine takes up too much space, and really, who bakes their own bread? What is this, 1810? There's a reason for the expression, "Best thing since sliced bread"; sliced bread is pretty bad ass. You don't have to worry about thickness variation and getting crumbs all over your counter. As for the savings, taking into consideration the cost of the machine, energy used to power the machine, and the fact that you can get a loaf of white bread for like a dollar or two, I would say it's a wash.

I imagine there is a giant Salvation Army warehouse somewhere just filled with donated bread makers.

We received a bread maker as a gift from Michael's friend so we got to experience the novelty of owning a bread maker without having to pay for it. The bread tasted better than store bought but it was a bit dry. The crust was rock hard and thing turned out like a tank.


It would be perfect for one of those soup in a bread bowl thing except I never really understood the point of eating soup out of a bread.

We're going to hold unto our bread maker for awhile. It makes a pretty mean pizza dough and we're all about Make Your Own Pizza Night! However, if storage space ever becomes an issue it will probably be one of the first thing to go.

Local Terrorist

I can see why Alfred Hitchcock made a horror film about birds; they are terrifying.

A couple of weeks ago I look outside and see this on our deck:


No, we did not invite friends over for a barbecue. It's December and we don't have a grill. It's a bone of some kind, picked clean, that some one, or some thing left on our deck. We think it's a bird. What kind bird would eat an animal with a bone that big? I don't know if you can tell but it's like the size of a drumstick, maybe even a bit bigger. Do we have a condor flying around here or something?

I did not know it at the time but now I realize that it was a message. Clearly there is a gang of malicious birds who rule our neighborhood and this was their way of warning me not to mess with them. I must have done something to piss them off because there has been a frequent assault of bird poop on my car. It's gross, so gross. There was a time when I didn't drive my car for two days and when I saw it, for a second, I was convinced that some one was playing a mean prank on me because it looked like someone went to town with a paint ball gun.

I must find way to find peace with the birds, I don't want to keep paying for a car wash. As this documentary proves, birds will mess with your car if you piss them off:



Aren't they supposed to down south or something? Why didn't they migrate? Stupid birds!

Bookmark Clean Out

Well, today's the day! The big day!

THE BIGGEST SHOPPING DAY OF THE YEAR!!!

Everyone thinks it's Black Friday but no, no, no... The Last Saturday Before Christmas is HUGE.

I love the customers who thinks they are being "smart" by waiting till the last minute. Oh let the insane ones get their fill on Black Friday and early December. I'll just wait it out and shop leisurely at the last minute while everyone else is at home wrapping up their gifts. Ha!

Well, I'm hoping that my mall won't be that busy. Hopefully all the rich folks will be too busy driving their $100,000 cars to some very posh Holiday gala tonight. "Christmas shopping? Oh I tasked that to my assistant weeks ago!"

Well, while I brave going to work here are some articles you can read!

Slacking Off- When I grow up I want to be an impossibly chic European with a house that Ikea dreams about ripping off.

10-Minute Shrimp and Mushroom Curry- Mmmmm... Looks so good and easy. I used to think shrimp were really expensive but, unless you buy the really big ones, per pound it's pretty comparable to chicken.

Shrimp Salad on Cucumber Slices- Speaking of shrimp...

Bed Bug Registry- It would appear that the entire East Coast has a problem.

On Montana Fishburne- It would appear that Morpheus' daughter is doing porn.

How to Make Hummus & Falafels Like a Pro- I only recently discovered hummus a few years ago. What a shame because it is fantastic. It's filling, works well as a dip or a condiment on a sandwich, and aren't chickpeas supposed to be like really cheap? If I had a lot of money I would totally start a hummus bar inside a mall. Talk to any mall monkey and they will tell you that all the fried grossness gets really old really quick. Plus, all the vegetarians and vegans would totally rejoice. So, if anyone out there is listening, start a hummus bar, please!

The Alot is Better Than You at Everything- I used to be so bad ass when it came to grammar. College ruined me, it really did. I'm not sure how, but it did.

How to Calculate the Amount of Paint You Need- Makes sense but we use flat paint. I love flat paint but it requires a lot of touch up so the extra paint on hand is appreciated. I'll keep this in mind when we paint the bathroom.

Keeping Your Stuff Up to Snuff: Our Best Maintenance Tip- Danish furniture require special care? I wish I had some Danish furniture to take care of. Well, any furniture would be nice at this point...

Eggplant Bake- Oh, we usually have all that except the eggplant. Eggplants are cheap, right?

Tomato and Basil Pest Tart- I swear I must have been Italian in my previous life because I love love love Italian food. This looks so good! I wish it wasn't so cold outside so I could go grocery shopping.

24 Things You Might be Saying Wrong- Back when I was a Grammar Nazi I might have known all these. I wonder if it really matters as long as people understand what you're trying to say.

Cafe Curtains, Mostly- I love the crocheted ones! I kind of want cafe curtains for the main floor. We're high up enough that it would provide all the privacy we need.

Brownies by Ech0- I wish I had a cat who made me brownies.

Stir Fry Ginger Beef Recipe- For Christmas my mom is getting us a rice cooker, excited!!! I'll have to try this out with our inaugural bowl of rice.

How Much Money Will the Stars Make on Dancing With the Stars- Michael lives in a naive little world where he thinks that celebrities appear on reality shows to just try and win money for their charity and A list celebs don't do reality shows because it's beneath them. I say if you throw enough money their way any celeb will gladly appear on these shows.

D.I.Y Not?

At my mall there's this furniture store called Jesse. On display they have this super fantastic gray platform bed that kind of looks like this:


I think that might be the bed actually but I'm not sure. I think the one I saw had a bigger base with sharper lines but you get the idea; gray, upholstered, platform. Even though Michael is kind of against the idea (he likes to fall out of bed in the morning) I really like platform beds (I like to fall into bed at night). So one night, I'm in bed, dreaming of that Jesse bed when I had this brilliant idea.

I could so totally make it!!!

I mean really, take another look at it. Doesn't it so look like a mattress on top of a slightly bigger box spring?


It does, doesn't it... See where I'm going with this? I can buy a king size box spring and put a full size mattress on top (giving me approx 5" ledge around the mattress) or, for a more subtle look, a full on top of queen or queen on top of king (approx 3" ledge). I can "upholster" the base with some fitted sheets and use the flat sheet to upholster the headboard, which I'm sure could be made with some plywood and quilt batting or something.

Am I crazy? I think it could work...

I really want to try it out and we do need to buy a new mattress. However, if it doesn't work out it would be a very expensive fail. I probably won't do it but I'm so tempted to try. It really does look like a mattress on top of a slightly bigger box spring.


Right?

And Then a Hero Comes Along

Everyone needs a hero in their lives.



I recently found mine, meet Brian G. Kim!


He's a Maryland judge who is known for being a complete hard ass.

Recently I had to go to court to testify against these four dumb asses who stole from my old company awhile back.

Off topic: It never cease to amaze me how people do not see fit to dress up for court. Now, I'm not saying that a clean pair of khakis and a tucked in button down with leather (like) shoes will save you from being declared guilty but, come on now. As far as I'm concerned if you think it's okay to come to court wearing a stained sweat shirt and ripped up jeans then you have no respect for the law which probably means you're guilty.

I won't bore you with the detail but some idiots are serving 6 months in jail for stealing shirts all thanks to Judge Brian G. Kim. I'm not very familiar with the court system but even I could tell that 6 months jail time is not the norm for shop lifters (totally should be, by the way). Anyone who thinks it's a waste of government resources to incarcerate petty criminals should look into the whole broken window theory.

Not only does the man hand out sweet sweet justice he also like runs marathons and plays the violin in an orchestra. He's also a member of the PTA at Sidwell Friends- as in the school that the Obama kids attend.

Plan B

You know, I just don't think I'm meant to wear knee highs. All of them were too wide in the calves. Poo.

However, I did try these on:


and I really, really liked them. I love the color, the design, and they were super comfortable. I would've bought them today but it was kind of busy at the store and while I was mentally prepared to plunk down some serious cash for winter boots I was not mentally prepared to spend serious money on an oxford. They didn't actually have my size (5), but the next size up (5.5) still fit well. I'm afraid with tights or thin dress socks they might be a smidge too loose. However, the size 5 might be a smidge too tight with regular socks. Hmm... Well, leather does stretch...

I'll have to try them on again tomorrow.

In the mean time, the search for a good pair of winter boots still continues!

Investments Require a Lot of Thought

So now that the weather is getting colder I'm thinking about buying a pair of nice leather winter boots. I am totally willing and mentally ready to plunk down some serious cash for something that's going to keep me warm for many many winters to come. I just can't decide which pair to buy.

I love the buckles on this one:


It has a bit of an industrial look to it which I like and I absolutely love the color. I am very partial towards gray, as my closet would suggest. However, I don't know how I feel about the suede sides. Hopefully it won't snow anywhere near as much as it did last year but I don't want to have to worry about ruining the suede in bad weather. I also worry that the buckles will make it too bulky to wear underneath most of my pants.

These would work very well underneath pants:


But, well, they are kind of boring, aren't they? Practical, yes, but not particularly exciting. The elastic sides aren't waterproof. I'm not looking for snow hiking boots but I would like to stomp into a snowbank with confidence.

These would be more practical for such stomping:


They're kind of like Docs but lacks the ruggedness; like classier Docs. But, you know, Docs aren't supposed to be classy. They're supposed to be big and bulky and angry looking. I'm not completely writing them off since I think they're great for NoVa weather and work suitable. In a lot of ways it's exactly what I'm looking for but... I don't know how I feel about them. They're not exactly fun.

I love the stud detailing on these:


And I've always wanted a pair of black knee highs that doesn't scream PVC. It's slim enough that I could wear it under my pants. It's a serious contender.

The pair that I am seriously, seriously considering purchasing are these:


Love love love love love love love the color. I feel like they would be the perfect winter boots and it would go with every color! It's, well, it's pretty pricey, even with my discount. But, you know, I think it's something I would wear a lot. I don't know how comfortable they would be under pants since they are over the knee length, unless you fold the flap down, which would be way too bulky to wear under my pants. Though, come to think of it, most of my pants are too slim to wear over knee highs since I can't pull the bottom up high enough to put the boots on.

Hmm... Do I want to start wearing baggier jeans? Do I want to start tucking my pants into my boots? Should I just stick with ankle/calf length boots? Do I want to pay that much for boots that I won't wear that often? Would I wear skirts more often if I owned a pair of bad ass knee highs? Lots to think about...

Adjustment

So...

Started my new job and it's very exciting. I'm working longer hours than I'm used to but the day just flies and every day I'm always surprised at the time. "It's time to go already?!" Everything and everyone is new. Being in the same field some things never change but it's good to have some consistency as well.

Even though the new job pays more than my last it's quickly starting to have a very negative impact on my finances. First off, I had to buy a lot of new clothes since the dress code is very different than my last job. I still haven't gotten a proper handle on the the daily groove so I've been eating out a lot during my lunch. Being in a very upscale mall there aren't any food courts and Corner Bakery is about the cheapest it gets.

Speaking of being in an upscale mall... Being around merchandise that costs hundreds of dollars all day has me thinking that hey, maybe $400 for a purse is a reasonable price, I mean, it's something you're going to have forever, right? $150 for shoes? For that kind of quality, it's a steal! It's starting to translate into other areas of my life... $75 for a sweater? Not too bad. $60 for pants? That's reasonable. And while these price points might be on the mid to low end for a lot of folks I'm not used to paying more than $20 for an article of clothing.

I have to remember that just because I work in an upscale mall doesn't mean that I should shop at an upscale mall. I do, however, like the fact that now I plan out purchases and really think about what I want to buy rather than just "Oh, it's $6 and not ugly... Sold!" I have more than enough casual fast fashion clothes to last me for a very long time. Having to wear nice things means I get to buy nice things and being allowed to wear only one, semi-difficult to find color means I can spend money on the good stuff.

So, starting next week I'm going back on the cereal for lunch plan (cheap!). I get amazing discounts at work so I think I will splurge on some nice things. I still need to buy new clothes but one great thing about a semi-monotone wardrobe is that no one can really tell that it's third time I'm wearing the same cardigan in one week. I have time to shop around. My finances will work itself out and I am super looking forward to eventually having a closet full of really nice things.

Sweet(z)!

Just wanted to take a quick moment to support a local business, Sweetz Bakery. If you're ever at the Dulles Town Center mall, be sure to stop by their kiosk at the food court and try one of their cupcakes, it is amazing!

"Oh, but I don't like paying $3 for cupcakes," you say, "I tried one at Cake Love once and it was hard and dry and cold- a total waste of money!" Well, that's Cake Love and Cake Love really stinks. Sweetz cupcakes are really moist and fluffy and totally not frozen. All their cupcakes have this pillow of the most amazing frosting on top and a gooey, gooey center. It's so rich and decadent that $3 seems like a steal. Seriously, like you'll want to go back and say, "Um, I think you undercharged me 'cause this taste like it should cost at least $5."

They have a very wide selection of really cool cupcake flavors. We ordered Tiramasu and everyone loved it. Really, like everyone in the room were going, "Oh wow, this is really good!" I hope they become really popular and take out Cake Love, Cake Love is pretty gross.

Full Time Position Available

So I've been sitting at home, reading about how to be a proper home economist, and realizing that it's a full time job... A full time job that I wouldn't mind taking.

It is conceivable that in a few years one of us will be making enough money for the other to just stay home so I've been giving that option some thought. In a lot of ways, that option sounds very appealing but of course a few concerns do pop up. For one, who's to say that I should be the one that stays home? I'm sure Michael would love the opportunity to be a stay at home hubby. Aside from outdated gender stereotypes what gives me the right to stay home over Michael? Well, to be fair, I am more qualified... I already know how to cook and clean and darn socks...

But if I were to be the bread winner I wouldn't mind. The idea of always coming home to a warm meal already prepared, a house that's always clean, always having clean clothes to wear without having to do any of the work is pretty nice. Having a stay at home spouse is also like having a full time personal assistant, someone to run all the errands, remember all the social calendars and birthdays and such. I wouldn't have to worry about anything other than my career! Regardless of who gets to stay home, it's a pretty sweet idea.

I'm sure being a stay at home spouse isn't all it's cracked up to be. Constant cleaning and cooking aside, the lack of social interaction would get pretty stifling. I consider myself a loner but even I think I would need someone to interact with every once in awhile through out the day. Sure, they're are a lot of stay at home mom groups but I don't think there are too many stay at home wife groups. It's not like back in the day when most women stayed home and you can go visit your friend over lunch or go grocery shopping together or something, most people are working during the day, if not, they have kids. I don't want to be one of those women who becomes "friends" with the local barista and the highlight of my day is holding up the line and boring some random cashier with my stories. And, neither of us will make enough money to be able to join the Ladies Who Lunch club.

The main reason why we would never go single income is, of course, money. Well, to be more precise, greed. We live pretty simply right now but we definitely have a lot of corners we can cut. If we make some sacrifices, in a few years we might be able to go single income. However, is having a stay at home spouse really worth forgoing all that potential income? For us, the answer is, of course, no. It's not that we're dreaming of fancy cars and small mansions but I am dreaming of a comfortable retirement and a big emergency fund. I am dreaming of being able to eat out a few times a month and having nice things. However, even if I were married to someone making six figures I don't know that I could give up my income. It's too much potential money to let go. Is it being selfish? Holding onto a job I don't need just so I can have more money in the bank and extra money to buy nice shoes and fancy cable with DVR? Shouldn't that job to go someone equally qualified that needs it? Is this what's wrong with today's economy? The environment? Shouldn't we all return to simpler times when fun was stitching pretty embroidery patterns onto a handkerchief and every women knew how to make 9 meals out of one chicken?

Well, I guess the smartest thing to do would be to just save save save as much money as possible so that we can enjoy an early retirement. Pay the house off early, drive beaters, work easy part time jobs and just spend all of our day cooking, cleaning, and playing scrabble. That sounds like fun.

We Finally Have a Place to Sit!

Still missing my camera charger so I'm still using my phone. But, look! I figured out how to make the pictures not so small and sad.


You are looking at a picture of my new dining room chair!!!

I got a job that requires me to wear navy, which is a problem since I only own one piece of navy clothing. I decided to check out the thrift stores to see if I can supplement my wardrobe on the cheap. I didn't find clothes worth buying but I did find a set of four dining room chairs for $15.95 at Hope's Treasure in Leesburg!

That's $15.95 for all four! There's a small chip on one of the chairs but for the most part they're all sturdy and in near new condition. The dining table itself is dark brown so I wasn't sure about mixing wood but at that price, who cares? The table was bought for just $25 on clearance at Target so that's... $40 for a dining room set! Sweet!