A couple weeks ago, I stumbled across this video from the series, “Portlandia”. I don’t know if we’re just bored, but my co-workers and I are thoroughly amused by it. In fact, we’ve even “put a bird” on several items throughout the office. After all, everything is better with a bird on it. Even a boring office door. Or Justin Bieber.
It’s Tuesday and already time for a much needed laugh. So here’s a funny little “first” for all the ladies to enjoy.
During my recent trip to Manhattan, we passed by the Abercrombie & Fitch store on Fifth Avenue. The first day, there were masses of tweens outside, vying for a photo with the two scantily clad hotties out front. We just laughed at the idiocy of it all (including the line that wrapped around the building).
And then came Day 3 of our visit, and while strolling about the city again, we encountered those same two boys. But the crowds were gone and my friend couldn’t resist a chance to put me in a funny situation.
So, she convinced me to pose with the two models for a photo to send to our co-workers locked away in our Orlando office. And yes, my “first” was making a “Mandi Sandwich” as my co-worker so proudly declared in her reply text.
Last week was long, so a night out on the town was desperately needed. My friend and I bar-hopped a bit, and en route to our 4th stop I developed an awful case of the hiccups. Her suggested fix? Drinking water upside down, of course. But water wasn’t really on our drink menu – so the question was: Could drinking beer upside down cure hiccups too? Well, apparently yes. And, thankfully, it only took two attempts because I’m pretty sure the other bar-goers thought I was crazy!
I’ve noticed many photos on Pinterest recently of people color coding their bookshelves. Some look amazing, with collections spanning one or more walls.
I can only dream of having a room filled with wall-to-wall books one day. But for now, I just have one little bookshelf to work with. But just because I don’t have a huge collection, that doesn’t mean I couldn’t try tackling this color coding challenge.
Here’s what I started with, my five shelves of books ranging from biographies to chick lit, to travel guidebooks and other novels (many past book club picks):
The first step was to pile all the books into color-specific piles. It was kind of interesting to note how many were white (how boring) and how many were red or blue.
Then came the hard part. Painstakingly placing each book in the best color wheel representation possible. To be honest, it only took about 15 minutes. It just seemed like forever! Here’s the result:
Fun, right? Okay, maybe I have a little too much time on my hands, but it was a little something different to try out.
Have you ever tried color coding anything? Your bookshelf, closet, work files?
I was lucky enough to inherit my father’s oil-ridden scalp – something I should be thanking him for every day. I mean, who doesn’t love the feeling of greasy hair a mere 24 hours after your last shampoo? Oh yeah, that’s right, NO ONE.
Because of this, I shampoo my hair every day. If there’s a day I don’t/can’t, my hair is inevitably slicked back into a ponytail (no product needed…ha!).
So when dry shampoos started popping up in the past year, I was curious yet skeptical. Are you really telling me that by spraying something on my hair, the “gloss” will just disappear?
I was willing to give this a try, but a just a minimal one. While at Target, I picked up a mid-priced product: Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Spray Shampoo. A couple days later, I gave it a go. At first, it seemed to do the trick. I mean, my hair wasn’t sparkling fresh, but it was better than the alternative.
However, by a couple hours later, the natural beauty started creeping back in. And I was left to – as usual – pull my hair back to avoid the slightly grungy look. Since then, I’ve reluctantly tried it once or twice more, with the same result.
Several friends all swear by dry shampoo, so obviously I just need to stop being cheap and buy a good brand. Above are recommendations I found from magazine articles, plus the one I purchased. Have you tried any of them? What brand is your favorite? Or have you encountered the same results as me?
When I started this adventure in February, another website/blog was just getting on its feet as well: OrlandoInformer.com. We both started following each other’s content, and that site has seen fantastic growth in the last 5 months – particularly among visitors to the Orlando area.
OrlandoInformer.com’s content focuses mostly on the major theme parks: Universal Orlando, Disney World and SeaWorld. But the editor was looking to add a local angle to the mix. So who did he call? Well duh. Me! Who else?
Much of my future content will mirror new places I find here in the area, such as my first post about the Funky Monkey Wine Company’s drag show at Pointe Orlando. Check it out!
I’m looking forward to this new challenge, and sharing some great Orlando restaurants and activities that tourists might not know of otherwise. Of course, I won’t give away too many of our local secrets. I personally enjoy the lack of tourists in some of the places I spend time. ;)
This might seem like a strange one, but allowing my photos to be viewed by strangers is an adventure to me. I know I’m not the world’s best photographer. I was fortunate to encounter fantastic landscapes, and there’s only so much skill required to capture beauty like that.
So, allowing my amateur photos to be viewed (and possibly scrutinized) by others is big to me. But when my friend Christie asked if she could use some for her new blog, Shore Bliss, I couldn’t deny her (or myself, really).
One of the feature sections of Shore Bliss is called Wanderlust, where Christie dreams of visiting shore-friendly destinations. After focusing on Hawaii her first couple posts, she wanted to branch out. She turned to my photos of the Bay Islands in Honduras as inspiration for The Other Caribbean (or, as I like to say, islands people either have no clue exist or forget are even part of the Caribbean).
Below is a snapshot of the post, but check it out for yourself. Poke around the other content, too. I personally love the Friday Flow weekly feature and all of her collages. :)
I wish it was mine. And no, I’m not bitter at all. Not one bit.
My sister and her husband purchased their first home last week, so driving down to Miami to help out was never a question (even though I dread the 4 hour drive through seemingly nowhere).
When we arrived at their new home, I was so excited for them! It is absolutely adorable: 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, open kitchen with glass cabinets, beautifully refinished oak floors, charming inset bookshelves and archways, and 2 sets of French doors opening to a large deck overlooking the perfect backyard for entertaining. Like I said, there’s no jealously on my end at all.
Before I say much more, I need to throw out a disclaimer that all photos posted here are BEFORE painting and adding little upgrades here & there.
During the settling in, I definitely pulled my weight. We painted the walls, floorboards, crown molding and door frames in the living room, dining room and one bedroom, and parts of a hallway, the kitchen and the bonus room. That might not sound like that much, but these are old plaster walls that just sucked up the paint. (Yes, we realize now we should have used primer first.)
I won’t complain, though. The weather was perfect. We turned off the A/C, opened every window and door, and enjoyed the constant cross breeze. On Saturday, my brother-in-law hosted his first cook-out in the backyard (even though it was just us five), and on Sunday we enjoyed our Easter lunch on the deck.
While they definitely have a lot of work ahead of them (including the dreaded furniture move), I’m one proud big sis. This was a huge decision for them both, and I honestly believe this home fits them perfectly.
And seriously, who am I kidding? I’m 100% envious of them! At least I can visit more often now and even bring a friend or two. If we can handle the drive. (ha)
Thanks to my lovely co-worker LT, I’m absolutely obsessed with a little website called Pinterest.
I constantly surf the Internet (pretty much part of my job) and always wish I had bookmarked or printed various things I find. Now, with the help of the fine creators of Pinterest, I can “pin” photos from interesting articles, recipes, etc. that I find online to my personal account – from which I can always find them again. Such a brilliant concept!
What’s great is that you can also surf the Pinterest homepage and scour through great finds from other members. I have found countless recipes (including the strawberry cupcakes featured in #27 on April 12), fabulous fashion, interesting ideas for the home, and many other great tidbits.
On your personal page, you can create various boards for topics of interest. For example, I have boards for:
There are more boards, but that’s a good snapshot for you. ;)
What am I getting at? Well… its simple. That YOU need to request an invite to Pinterest for yourself. Its still a private community, but if you put in a request, you get accepted within about a week. So…why are you still reading this? Get pinning!
Check it out! I’ve added another piece of jewelry to my tiny collection. This time, I was lucky enough to win this stylish piece from one of my favorite blogs, Work Your Closet.
A couple weeks ago, Jamie offered up a chance to win a beautiful gold braided (and reversible) bracelet from online jewelry boutique Pop of Chic.
Entry was simple, just fan their pages on Facebook, follow Work Your Closet on Bloglovin’, and comment on the post. Simple enough.
Never thought I’d win, but low and behold, I did! I received my new bracelet tonight, and love it! And the fact that its reversible is an awesome bonus.
Pop of Chic (website launching soon) has a great selection of distinctive bracelets, rings and earrings, at an affordable price. My bracelet is very well made – right on par with something you’d spend double as much on at a store. Be sure to fan Pop of Chic’s Facebook fan page to stay up-to-date on all the new pieces.
Be sure to follow Work Your Closet, too! Jamie’s blog is a great way to learn how to take items you may be bored with in your closet, and turn them into today’s latest styles. And since we’re all on a budget these days, tips like these are always good to know. Plus, she typically features a great giveaway each month. Until April 21, you can enter to win a $150 gift card for Perricone MD skin care products!
I’m the type of person who finds complete comfort in repetition. Not only will I dine at the same restaurants and coffee houses, but I’ll even order the same item every time. I even want to visit the same destinations again and again.
In order to break free from habit – and have a little fun – I’ve tasked myself with trying new experiences. They can be anything. A new destination, activity, book, movie, restaurant, bar, fashion, etc.
And since I haven’t been a complete bore my whole life, I’ll share flashbacks to some of my best experiences from the past. And don’t worry…there will be no cheating. The flashbacks won’t count towards the new experiences count.
Maybe my “adventures in trying” will inspire you to give new experiences a chance. But mostly, I just hope they add a little humor to your day.
© 2011 Socialike
