Retreat

fatbridesmaid — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:47:25 +0000

Internet, it’s been a long, hard, hot, summer. And I am tired. Tired of being exhausted and working so hard. Tired of spinning my wheels and not taking the time I need to take care of myself. Tired of beating myself up for every mistake and misstep.

But all that’s about to change.

Tomorrow I’m going to get in my car, roll down the windows, and drive and drive and drive. First I’ll meet up with Krissie and then Lorrie, and the three of us are going to spend the weekend in West Virginia, hanging out and doing whatever the hell we want.

There will be laughter. There will be shopping. I suspect there will be cocktails. And I’m so excited I could cry.

I’m embarrassed to admit how much I need this weekend away, and how hopeful I am that taking a few days to relax and unwind will help me get re-centered and recommitted to taking care of myself (mentally and physically). It’s time to find the balance in my life again, and if the first step is driving to West Virginia to find it, then so be it.

Fresh Flowers: Week 34

fatbridesmaid — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:14:08 +0000

It’s been a crazy exhausting week. I just picked these up at the supermarket ($9.99). Sometimes a girl just wants roses.

Not the healthiest bunch of roses I’ve ever seen, but they’ll do.

Lesson Learned: Be Patient

fatbridesmaid — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 01:07:05 +0000

At the end of July one of my closest friends went into labor. Normally this would be cause for celebration but since she wasn’t due until the end of October we were all more than a little concerned. After more than a month of strict hospital-stay bed rest, a water rupture at 27 weeks and a few start-stop sessions of labor I got a text on Saturday afternoon that they were moving her to Labor and Delivery to prep for a C-section.

I got that text when I was pulling into the parking lot. At the hospital. What I thought would be a short afternoon visit turned into five hours of hanging out in the recovery room before and after my friend’s son was born (not during). After weeks and weeks of visiting the hospital and celebrating every tiny milestone — 27 weeks! 28 weeks! He’s practicing breathing on his own! 30 weeks! — it was incredible to walk down the hall to the NICU and see this tiny little guy an hour after he entered the world.

3.5 pounds... tiny, but mighty.

He’s doing remarkably well; he’s off the oxygen completely and breathing on his own. The doctors say the month of bed rest helped Baby Boy pack on nearly a pound and a half. It’s amazing to think that one pound in a month could make such a huge difference. If I only lost one pound in a month I would be so disappointed, so defeated. But a one pound gain for my little burrito baby nephew made all the difference in the world.

Fresh Flowers: Week 33

fatbridesmaid — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 01:28:05 +0000

Got a black thumb? Possess the ability to kill plants and fresh-cut flowers in a matter of minutes? Meet the Cremon Mum. You couldn’t kill it if you tried. I picked these up Saturday, tossed them in a vase with some water and haven’t done a thing since. And they look exactly like they did on Saturday.

This bunch only set me back $8. I love their sunny color and fuzzy centers.

Divine Design

fatbridesmaid — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:05:33 +0000

Do you watch Drop Dead Diva? It’s on Lifetime (don’t roll your eyes!). The basic plot is easy enough to follow — skinny blonde perky model “dies” in a car accident and instead of going to The Great Beyond she’s transported into the body of a plus-size frumpy lawyer named Jane. Hilarity ensues.

The story can get a little fluffy sometimes but it’s a fun way to spend an hour. And the clothes that Jane wears? Killer. Even though it’s frustrating to see Brooke Elliott labeled as plus-size (she’s average-sized — probably a 10 or a 12) it is nice to see some cute clothes on a normal body.

image via www.mylifetime.com

It seems like every girl has a little black dress these days, but adding a studded belt and fishnets? That’s hot.

image via www.mylifetime.com

Normally I’m not a big fan of polka dots, but since these dots are slightly larger and concentrated at the waist I’m kind of a fan. The subtle pin-tucking on the top doesn’t hurt either.

image via www.mylifetime.com

I don’t even know where to begin. I would wear this outfit to work every single day. It’s so simple and chic.

Fresh Flowers: Week 32

fatbridesmaid — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:24:46 +0000

After last week’s bird of paradise debacle I just wanted something simple that smelled pretty.

You can’t go wrong with citrus roses. Deep yellow edged in bright orange. They remind me of the autumn.

They smell good too. ($12 from the grocery store.)

Enter Slackerville

fatbridesmaid — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:51:34 +0000

Bad TV Shows I’ve Watched This Week When I Should Be Sleeping So I Can Wake Up Early To Go Work Out:

Big Love, Season 1
Teen Mom (I have a love/hate relationship with this show)
Wipeout
Iron Chef (the original)
Selling New York
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
The Colony
Vampire Diaries, Season 1
Chelsea Lately

The Living Room Overhaul That Wouldn’t End

fatbridesmaid — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:14:21 +0000

Remember back in April when I decided to flip the floor plan of the loft and redo my living room? Well I think I’m almost done. The problem with living in one big 600 square foot room is that you can’t just close the door on the horrible mess of a half-finished living room. It’s right there when you walk in, visible from every point in the house. If that’s not motivation I don’t know what is. And yet it still took me four months to get my shit together.

[Click photos to enlarge.]

So far the white couch is still white, despite the many non-white foods I’ve consumed while sitting on it (chocolate ice cream, red wine, buffalo chicken mac ‘n’ cheese, pizza, etc.). I spend a lot of time hanging out on the couch — watching TV, reading, surfing the web, napping. I tend to forget that it’s white until someone comes to visit and they recoil in fear at the idea of sitting on the white couch.

I broke down and bought the ridiculously expensive rug I fell in love with at Macys. Who knew rugs were so effing expensive?! At first the sticker shock was too much to deal with, but after weeks and weeks of looking for something else I still couldn’t get this rug out of my brain. The scalloped edge is what sold me.

I knew I needed to get the big stuff sorted out — couch, rug, maybe a chair or an ottoman. I also knew that it would take me months (if not years) to acquire everything else, and that’s fine by me. Life’s too short to spend your money on filler stuff you don’t really like; better to wait for someone you love.

I’m blessed with two fireplaces that are original to the building. Sadly, they’re both non-functioning (probably a good thing since they’re 120+ years old). The bedroom fireplace is covered with an antique oval mirror from my Grandma’s house, so I wanted some element of fire and warmth in the living room fireplace.

One afternoon at Pier 1 I found three hurricanes on clearance for $4 each. Add three pillar candles and I get the warm glow without the worry of accidentally setting my slippers on fire.

Finding art and wall decor that is 1) something I like and 2) in my price range has been a difficult. The ceilings in my loft are 15-feet high, so size and scale are important. You can’t just slap up a small print and call it a day. I fell in love with the idea of doing a vintage bus scroll but couldn’t find one for less than $800. Enter Etsy and TransitDesign. A few quick emails and I had a custom vintage-look scroll to hang on the wall. I opted to list the places I’ve lived and visited since I left my hometown for college.

It occurs to me that these pictures make my living room look deceptively big when, in fact, it is small and cozy. Here’s a shot taken from the front door of the loft, just to keep things in perspective.

It’s still a work in progress — I need more stuff to hang on the wall, some new lamps, and a few other odds and ends. But it feels like home. What more can a girl ask for?*

*A roomba, that’s what. It’s at the top of my Christmas list.

Fresh Flowers: Week 31

fatbridesmaid — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 15:06:31 +0000

I’m not going to lie; this week’s flower has been a total bust.

I picked up this Bird of Paradise a week ago ($5 at the grocery store) thinking that it would bloom sometime this week. As of right now it hasn’t bloomed. Instead he* sits on my bookshelf, freaking me out with his weird bird-like profile, staring at me while I sleep.

Anyone have any tips on getting this sucker to open up?

*I’ve named him Tuki. They say plants like when you talk to them, so everyday I yell, “Tuki, you son of a bitch. Bloom already!”

Banana Fanna

fatbridesmaid — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 02:15:20 +0000

For the past few weeks one of my friends (not The Bride) has been laid up on bed rest at the hospital. She went into pre-term labor at 26-weeks and, even though the doctors have been successful in postponing her labor, she’s stuck in the bed at the hospital until she delivers. I’ve been making lots of trips to visit and babysitting here and there for her nearly two-year old when her husband needs a break. The kid’s name is Rocket, and she is a bad ass.

See what I mean? Loads of personality. And she loves me, so that’s awesome too. We’ve been reading Where The Wild Things Are and The Paper Bag Princess and watching the always trippy Yo Gabba Gabba. And dancing. There has been lots of dancing.

I have decided that all I need to do to lose weight is eat like a two-year old. It took nearly fifteen minutes for the kid to eat this banana. Fifteen damn minutes. If I ate that slowly and in such small portions I’d be crazy skinny (and also, I’d imagine, pretty damn hungry).

And working out on babysitting days? Forget about it. Who needs a treadmill when you can run to the kitchen! And then the living room! And then back to the kitchen! Now let’s jump up and down! And now you flip me upside down while I pretend to be scared! And then — damn kid, you got 5-hour Energy in that sippy cup?