Gram Online

So remember this post where I talked about my wonderful Grammy on her birthday? I forwarded her the link to the post as she now has a computer and is receiving lessons from the family on how to use it. She can successfully navigate the TV Food Network website and play Hearts, but learning Gmail has been a bit more of a challenge. Or so I thought... So I forwarded her the post to read, thinking I would have to help her the next time I was at her house. Later that day, I received an email back from her saying:

Dear Miss E, I read your blog and the nice things you wrote about me. Now I have to live up to all of the nice things you said about me. Love, Gram

Props to Grammy for use of Gmail AND Blogger! What, will Facebook be next?

Shopping List

I've gotten some questions on what kind of mascara I use from this post. So I thought I would address it and let you in on a few other of my fav finds.

The mascara is Lancome Fatale. It is great for lengthening obvi but it has a funny brush.

{Lancome}

I use it only to apply, then use a different brush (like the top of the brush below) to even it out and separate the lashes.

{Sephora}

It's a little more of process, but makes my lashes look great! Even the Hubs gives it an A+!

Do you use an undereye concealer? I never did...didn't think I needed it. But, you know, 40+ hour work weeks and late nights can get to a girl. While visiting one of my college roomies last summer, she introduced me to this little miracle:

{Bobbi Brown}

It gives just the right tint of color to conceal any darkness, but isn't thick/dry like a lot of concealers. It is so easy to apply. On the weekends when I don't want to put on a full face of makeup, I dab this on my eyelids/under my eyes, put on a coat of mascara and go!

Oh, and after reading my friend Krystyn's post from Really, Are You Serious? yesterday, you might want to try this out too!

PS - Check out Aliya's first giveaway from from The View fom My Shoes here. Look what you could win...

A Vera Bradley travel cosmetic case in Java Blue - AND she's going to fill it with goodies. What could be better?!

xoxo

Miss E

Oh Happy Day!

As of 5:00 tonight the Bar is officially over! To celebrate we are going to Postino's Wine Bar in Arcadia to celebrate with some friends. I have also planned a shindig for Saturday night at a local bar to get the group together. The theme of the party is "Hubs' Return to Reality Post-Bar Party." Kinda sums it up, huh? He's looking forward to seeing friends & family, playing Xbox 360 doing chores around the house, and relaxing meeting with prospective employers. In honor of the exam, here is an examencito of my own. It is only one question. Please select the best possible answer. Miss E is *ecstatic* that she no longer has to: a) tippy toe through her house in fear of disturbing the studying process b) bite her tongue and not share every last thought that crosses her pretty little mind c) take care of EVERY LAST blessed household duty on her own d) all of the above If you guessed d you are correct! xoxo Miss E

Random musings on a Friday afternoon...

Oh poor Rhianna. It breaks my heart that the horrible photo was released of her all battered - of all days, on her birthday! What a horrible way to ring in your 21st. Most people celebrate with their friends and family, maybe a "power hour," finally able to have that first (legal) drink. I can't imagine how she must feel. What a whirlwind time for her. In other news, the Big Bar Countdown is nearing an end. T-4 days until the start. It's crazy to think this has been looming for the past 3 years and all of a sudden it's here. I think Hubs is ready.....ready to take it and ready to be done! I can't wait until it's over and I get my husband back. YIPPEE! On a totally random note, there's a cashier in our cafeteria who calls everyone "mama" while ringing them up/taking their money. "Hey, mama! How's it going today, mama?" But never me! I'm lucky to hear her mumble the amount owed. WHY? I'm excited for the Oscars this Sunday! I LOVED The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire (but Benjamin Button more...). My BFF Lonnie and I were planning on seeing all of the nominated movies before this weekend. Which we failed to do. But did manage to see Confessions of a Shopaholic and He's Just Not That Into You instead. Ha! Hardly Oscar-worthy productions. Do you have any exciting plans to watch the Academy Awards? Have a favorite movie you'd like to see win big? Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! xoxo Miss E

A strong line of women

My Grammy's birthday was yesterday. Of course, I didn't have a chance to post this yesterday (shocker: Late again. What!? Not me...). But since I posted about my mom's birthday last weekend, I thought I must introduce you to the woman who started it all. My mom's mom is the strongest, most honest, beautiful, kindhearted woman I know. She just turned 84 and makes it to the gym everyday, poker and lunches with her friends every week, activities with us grandkids, plans dinners for the whole family and does it all with a smile on her face. Phew - makes me feel like a slacker! She raised three beautiful daughters and was my Grandpa's rock until the day he passed away. She was a product of her time; as a married woman, she had rarely/never pumped her own gas, paid bills, been alone. Yet her strength and sass pulled her through that tough time after my Grandpa was gone. She has not only learned the chores my he took care of (yard work, pool care, bills) but also learned to use a cell phone, digital camera, DVR and computer! Yes, Grammy is fully aboard the digital superhighway! She and I have a special ESP, if you will; we often call each other at the same time, have similar dreams, similar style (jewelry, shoes, and purses, oh my!) and similar personality traits (ha! my dad likes to ask my gram, my mom and me if we file our tongues to get them so sharp! hey, we just tell it like it is!). I couldn't be more proud to come from such an amazing line of women. I pray that God will give me a little girl someday so I can teach her in true Krueger style!

My Mom and Gram

So here's to your birthday, Gram! I love you.

From amidst the shelter mag ashes...

We received horrible news a few weeks ago that Domino Magazine was folding. This was earth-shattering news to me as I a) *love* that magazine and b) had paid to renew my subscription for another year as well as purchased 2 gift subscriptions for Christmas presents...{sigh}.

But never fear, ladies, a new magazine emerges. I'm not sure if anything could rival Domino, but this one looks pretty darn good!

Its goal is to target young homeowners, women and couples and will feature affordable DIY projects featuring the latest home trends. The first issue hits newsstands on Feb 27th and will be released on a quarterly basis.

Fresh Home will have big shoes to fill in my book, but at this point, beggars can't be choosers, right?

xoxo Miss E

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. I'm so lucky to have such a strong, insightful, loving and beautiful woman as my mom. She has an amazing gift of interior designing and decorating. Check out her website: http://www.solems-classic-interiors.com/. She started by decorating (and redecorating) my childhood home and has grown her passion into a full-fledged operation, decorating client's houses from Payson to Scottsdale, Anthem to Chandler. She travels to Las Vegas, Chicago and Texas just to find the perfect item to finish a room. She has amazing style and great eye for detail. She has strong values and opinions - and is never afraid to share them! (Yes, she can be thanked for all of my spunk and sass...I learned from the best!) She taught me to reach for the stars and dream big; anything is attainable with hard work and determination. She loves nothing more than to spend time with the whole family gathered around, laughing and sharing stories. She made sure to instill the best values into my brother and me - and dedicated her life to raising us so well. She believes in me. No matter what life throws my way, I know I can count on her to see me through. Most of all, she is more than just a mom to me, she is my best friend. So today I raise my chilled glass of Riesling to you, Mom! I love you. Now, let's go celebrate :)

Happy Valentine's Day

The poor Hubster. He's officially lost in the Land of The Bar. I'd like to think of it as a magical, faraway land, but sadly it's not. He's up at dawn, nose in the books until midnight. He even talks Torts and Contracts in his sleep. I knew this time would come. After 3 years of law school, they warned me this would happen. And I know he's in the last 10 day stretch. But it's hard. I feel helpless that I can't help him besides bringing him food and a hug. For the take-charge kind of gal that I am, it's hard to have to sit by and watch him get more mentally and phsyically exhausted everyday. I'm so proud of him - for all that he is and has become. He's a great man, a great friend, a great husband. I'm thankful everyday that I have him in my life. So, we're not all lovey-sappy-Valentine's-y, but I hope he knows (at least in the back recesses of his mind, those that aren't consumed by laws and such) that I love him and I'm there for him in spirit. And if all I can do is feed him and water him and make him smile, then I'll be the best damn feeder/waterer/smile-inducer on the block! And to all my blogger friends celebrating with their special someones tomorrow: please recap all V-Day details on Monday...I need to live vicariously through you, ladies! Bring on the chocolate! Happy Valentine's Day Miss E

My Dear John letter to Chris Brown

Dear Chris Brown, You may or may not know this, but I have on occasion (read: many times) referred to you as "my boyfriend." (An example straight from the horse's mouth: "Oh my boyfriend is on the radio right now!") I may have even mentioned to my friends that when "With You" came on the radio you were actually singing it to me. (While The Hubs knows of my delusions, he knows I am beyond hope and lets me live in my fantasy world. Kind of like when I saw The Golden Compass and spent the next month calling my chihuahua Lulu "my daemon." I know, I have a problem, but I digress...back to the matter at hand.) I may have been blinded by your baby face and strinkingly hip-classy clothing ensembles. Yes, it's true. But this is my letter to formally break it off with you. No more singing me catchy tunes, no more catching my eye with flashy duds. No, you are dead to me. Because no matter how you can croon or dance or strut your stuff, I draw the line at DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. Look who's delusional now. Signed, Miss E

Hi-larious!

You must check this site out that I found on The View From My Shoes: http://www.fmylife.com/ I guarantee it will make you laugh out loud. More to come later... xoxo Miss E

It's a girl thing

{Scene: In the car} Miss E frantically applying mascara at a red light. The Hubs is watching the expert application. So far so good. And then he opens his mouth...

Whoa, I just saw your eyelashes grow! They were so thin and short before you put that on! It's like magic!

Yes, dear, thank you for pointing that out. Now you know why I spend $20 a tube. Magic. {End scene}

Go Suns!

Our great friends gave us tickets to the Suns game Fri night (thanks D&T!). We ate dinner in downtown Phoenix at a Jamaican restaurant called The Breadfruit. I highly recommend it if you are looking for healthy, flavorful, quick food downtown.

At the arena they were handing out Shaq swag - a huge jersey of sorts that you know you will never wear. But of course I took it and swung it over my purse. At half time, waiting for The Hubs to buy a round of deliciously overpriced Bud Lights, a guy came up and offered me money for the jersey. How could I resist?

The Suns won, we had a great time and I hustled for $20 (or something like that...ha!). Here's a pic of us...I'm holding a receipt on which I wrote a thank you to our friends. I wanted to send them the pic during the game but you can't see the words! Nice try but no cigar.

xoxo

Miss E

So I finally bit the bullet...

I'm joining the blogging world. How could I not? What a great way to chronicle my life and share my thoughts, feelings, pictures and memories with friends, old and new. So we'll give this a go!

Introduction a la Facebook: 20 Things About Me

1. I'm a 20-something Arizona native, born and bred.
2. I'm a 3rd generation Sun Devil.
3. I'm a proud Pi Beta Phi.
4. I met my husband while studying abroad in Spain.
5. I have 2 degrees: Psychology and Spanish.
6. I've been married for 3 years.
7. My husband has been in law school for 3 years. (Taking the Bar this month...woohoo!)
8. I've worked for 5 financial institutions since graduating, held 9 different jobs and been laid off 2 times.
9. I have two pups (who are my for-now children): Bentley, a min pin, and Lulu, a chihuahua.
10. I am a first-born child, textbook case.
11. I love to read and always have a book in my purse.
12. I am a Cancer through and through.
13. I am fluent in Spanish.
14. I love horses and competed for many years in jumping and eventing.
15. I struggle with two equal but opposite forces within me: an optimist and a realist.
16. I can't dance or sing, but I don't let that stop be from doing both. My poor husband!
17. I love spicy food...bring on the habaneros!
18. I have a weird fear of anything overwhelmingly large (i.e. the Hoover Dam, skyscrapers, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower).
19. I get lost in my hometown.
20. I loved vampires before loving vampires was cool.

xoxo, Miss E