A fat girls sanctuary.

In celebration of finishing all my horrific exams and the beginning of a wonderous Christmas break my father took me out to dinner, my choice. So naturally I chose the new 50's themed diner full of poodle skirts and a giant screen playing Howdy Doody - I think my 50's fascination goes back to my middle school obsession with ANYTHING and EVERYTHING I Love Lucy. No joke. It was on the verge of freakish and thankfully I grew out of it (somewhat.) I had the posters, lunch box, barbie, and even forced my mother to take me to the I Love Lucy exhibit in Universal Studios California...it was that important to me. Back to the diner! Below are pictures of the dessert area as well as my meal.

This was the maple syrup waffles which were available among a variety of waffles, crepes, pancakes, and french toast.

and THIS is what hooked me immediately. They force you to walk by this display of decadence before you even sit down...they know me too well.

the cutiest cupcakes imaginable..they remind me of the most beautiful cupcakes sold at another diner near my sisters apartment called Bright Spot in California.

The beautiful cake display where my father couldn't resist a slice of carrot cake. I think my tummy takes after his.

 

If you aren't considering opening your own bakery after looking at these pictures then you my friend are an unusual breed and someone I'm not so sure I want to associate myself with. :) 

 

xoxo,

Muffin Top Mistress

Liz Lemon is my idol.

If you know me at all you know I am highly addicted to Netflix to the point that i'm pretty sure it is partially responsible for my recent visit to the eye doctor...I just now put that correlation together. oops.
Anywhom...anywho? Anyways, lately my addiction has been 30 Rock and I cannot get enough of it. I am on season four and just realizing what an unhealthy mix of Liz Lemon and Jenna Maroney I have become.

Examples:
Liz Lemon's love of cheese and pretty much all food really.
Jenna Maroney's hit song "Muffin Top" (yeah, terrifyingly similar.)

I would continue the list but as I think about it, the rest of the similarities are much too embarrassing...

So, I will leave this blog with a link to the far too short song "Muffin Top"
30 Rock Clip

gobble gobble gobble...

i would like to start off this blog by apologize for my absence lately...i started this blog when i was home often and not much to do. boy did that change quickly...school got hectic, my internship increased in hours, and any time after that was probably wasted on netflix. okay so i definitely could have blogged but i'm a creature of habit and when i have a moment of free time i choose to spend it in pure and total mindlessness (is that a word?)
so i'm writing now to update you on everything...Thanksgiving is just days away and i could not be happier. Sunday my friends and i got together and created the most delicious thanksgiving lunch which will help prepare my tummy for the continued excess of food soon to come.

My friend Julia (you can follow her blog at Loveforallthingsmango.blogspot.com) made probably the most amazing thing i've eaten that didn't involve 10 sticks of butter and an increase in cellulite. It was toasted gingerspice bread topped with cream cheese and cranberry sauce. I'll probably be making this throughout the year because it was THAT good.

For my meal I brought a marbled pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap crust- amazing to eat but posed a problem for me when making. i suddenly realized that even though i love to bake, i have literally NO baking equipment. I had to go purchase a round cake pan because i didn't even have that..or a spatula..or a hand mixer (in which Julia became my savior by providing me with one immediately) So i will definitely be adding baking/cookware to my Christmas list.

And now I have a baker's dilemma. Originally my sister was going to make a red velvet cheesecake for our family Thanksgiving which turned into a "massacre" (her words exactly) Which puts a violent image in my head considering it was red velvet...hmm.  So now I am in charge of making a dessert for the family but what to make?! This is what i have on my list so far...
Maple Cupcakes
Chocolate Caramel Cream Pie
Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
Autumn Spice Cake
Apple Cardamom Cakes
              Any requests?!

my fall favorites!

Here is a compiled list of all my favorite things i have discovered so far this fall...

Fashion:
a website called Rent The Runway. My friend SB works for them and introduced it to me recently...you can rent designer dresses for cheap! its the answer to all my prayers! I will definitely keep this website in mind when looking for dresses for my sister's wedding/bachelorette party/ etc.

Quotes:
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds awake to find that all was vanity.
But the dreamers of day are dangerous men, that they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible. - T.E. Lawrence (found this from Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time)

Food:
Pumpkin Scone and Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks (yes...all that reading about Starbucks has programmed me into constantly thinking about Starbucks. what an ingenious marketing tool!)

Make-Up:
Pop Beauty Face Magnet Primer: i've been looking for a primer and have been reading reviews but this one caught my attention the most. It has caffeine which energizes the skin and reduces puffiness. It also has an anti-shine ingredient which is perfect for my often oily skin.

 

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil: this is a waterproof eye pencil that i love already! My mom actually recommended this to me because i'm constantly looking for an eyeliner that actually lasts. I put it on this morning at 6:30am and it hasn't budged a bit! that's huge for me.

Television: without a doubt Glee. this show never ceases to amaze me with its humor and songs. at night if i cant sleep i've been watching Netflix and now that i've finished Heroes i've started watching Friday Night Lights...so far it's pretty good. the filming style kind of hurts my eyes but i like the story line.

So that's my favs so far! ill try to start updating more often as well..sorry peeps.

fall is among us...

hoooray! fall is officially here. break out your boots and grandma cardigans ladies. start saving up for spiced lattes and splurging on the most messed up pumpkin in the patch (preferably the ones with millions of bumps and mysteriously white...) dust off your Room for Squares cd and switch to more musky perfumes. lint roll your black leggings and stock up on plenty of Swiss Miss. HEAVEN.

lesson of the day: my attempt to venture out in the coffee department resulted in a failure therefore i will forever stick to my usual. no more adventure for me.

loves. loves. loves.

this is a quick posting of two of my most favoritest things.

 kitty cats. (my sister's cat Furbaby)

Panera Bread's hot chocolate. 

both get my excited for autumn...now if it would hurry up and get here that would be loverly. :)

cute feet...

Just a quick update:
Ive started an internship at a local fitness studio (Flow Fitness Studio) and it's been aaaamazing so far. I get to try out the classes to get a feel for the place so on Monday I took Belly Dancing and tonight was Flow Dance. One move involved sliding on the floor...and we were bare foot. Needless to say my feetsies didn't take this too kindly.

This is my well worth it battle scar.

A woman should never have a beard.

I've realized two major things today....

   1. Much like thepeopleofwalmart.com, there should also be a thingsyouseeonmarket.com because the things i have seen just driving up and down market have been nutty. There have been people pushing carts across 5 lanes of traffic right in front of your 45 mph car. Men in wheelchairs pushing themselves with their feet. And crazy asian Danny Devitos who yell at gas stations. I could write an entire novel just on these experiences.

   2. There is a fatal flaw to my ingenious idea of getting my daily coffee from the front office - i must pass the plate of cookies and donuts. So far i have yet to resist...i'm sure one day ill be strong. But so long as the donuts are glazed and the cookies are fresh then i will consider myself a weakling. 

warning: early morning blogging

Usually I write my blogs in the late afternoon/night but this morning has been soo amazing already that I felt the urge.
My natural alarm clock woke me up right at 9 to start watching my routine Regis and Kelly. Anderson Cooper was the guest host (and he is always nice to look at.) After I showered - which is the first time I've showered in the morning in a looong while - I got coffee from the front office of my apartment complex...it was HEAVENLY. They were out of my usual staple of Creme Caramel or Swiss Chocolate Almond so I opted for Hawaiian Hazelnut Aloha....delish. Good choice on my part.

Currently: watching Rachel Ray and drinking my coffee in bed....relaxing until the very last moment I must leave for class.

gimme gimme gimme.

This post is dedicated to my selfish nature and materialistic desires of the moment - perhaps this session will be therapeutic and I will no longer yearn for such...doubtful.
The theme will be my most recent obsession - NUDE. Tomorrow I am going on a man hunt for sexual nude pumps (shout out to Julia's!)

*Alice + Olivia* 

This is for a night when i'm feeling very "Kim Kardashian" like. 

 *Forever 21*

This top is on Forever21.com but I have yet to find it in the Wilmington store. Perfectly ladylike.

*Steve Madden*

These suede pumps are ideal for fall and I'm in love. 

Currently: eating peanut butter off a giant spoon - classy. 

the good ole B and N.

I've been sitting in Barnes and Noble for the past hour and 1/2 working on the same assignment that won't even be counted for a grade...this irks me. It's a ratio assignment and if you know me at all then you know math or anything pertaining to math is not my cup of tea. We are supposed to copy a bunch of ratios and financial statements then compare them to a publicly traded company in that industry. Sounds somewhat simple right? Well not when the books the teacher makes you copy are from 1976. Doing this assignment is keeping me from doing the rest of my homework that actually will be graded. Dumb.

I have really enjoyed studying at Barnes and Noble lately..i tried it several times in high school but i got too distracted by whoever i was with or whoever was simply walking by. Now i have different distractions in my life such as the constant habit of checking Facebook even though i know i have no new notifications. Or the desire to watch old 90210 reruns on Soapnet. But here everyone is after the same goal - to get poop done.
It's also fun because when i need a study break i can daydream about the relationship i would have with the guy next to me. 

currently: embarrassed because my phone alarm went off in dead silence.

infamous donuts

After eating like a large woman the whole time my sisters were here, I have been trying to eat better since...unfortunately that was destroyed by the two Britt's donuts I devoured this evening...if you live in the Wilmington/Carolina Beach area you simply MUST eat a Britt's donut. It's a funnel cake and glazed donut rolled into one heavenly concoction. It's located on the boardwalk (which is the Jersey Shore for people with no teeth..) and has been open since the 1930s.

Today I went on a hunt for the perfect birthday dress. Nothing was to my satisfaction and i think in the end i just settled...now i'm debating whether to return the so-so dress i purchased and keep looking or just jazz up the one i got. Decisions, decisions.
I'll just have to sleep on it...

Missing my seesters.

Second post:
Both my sisters came to visit this weekend and it was amazing - we went out on the boat, ate way too many sweets, and squished each other constantly. I love that my sisters both live in different states when it come to planning a vacation but the rest of the time i wish we were all living together in a giant house.
On Monday morning i had to leave everyone to go to my 3 long and tedious classes - my dad brought me coffee and helped me make breakfast and it felt like we all lived together again, probably the most amazing feeling i have had in a long time.
On a lighter note i have found my child and she is sitting next to me at Barnes and Noble - i knew she was mine when she proclaimed to her father, "i need chocolate milk in my belly." Then she later continued being my child by spilling the chocolate all over said belly...twice.

Currently: watching Julia be studious while i lick caramel off the lid of my machiato.

The first of many...(hopefully)

So i've never been good at maintaining a journal or diary of any sort...the longest relationship i've had would be my middle school Xanga years (which eventually led to its death once my mother found a curse word on a single post.)
But i'm trying it again because now i am 21 and STILL unemployed therefore i have plenty of time...we shall see how this goes. 


I will dedicate this first post to both my sister Libby and my friend Julia who blog themselves - they are the ones who have inspired me to start this endeavor.. Some days i will just ramble - some i will post pictures of food - and others will be about celebrity news, etc.

Here is a picture of my most recent project - my Geraniums. (I bought these on a day when i thought i was both 80 years old and had a green thumb.)

Sincerely,
Your Muffin Top Mistress