Nails and Ales

Time for Round Two of Nails and Ales!
This feature allows me to show off two of my favorite things…my nail polish endeavors and the different beers I try every so often.

Blue Moon is one of my favorite beers, hands down. So I was excited to try this seasonal ale.
The flavor was much stronger than the traditional brew, but I enjoyed it a lot.

Samuel Adams’ Chocolate Bock is ridiculously good. I don’t think I could drink more than one, but it would be an excellent dessert beer. The cocoa flavor was there, but not too sweet or overpowering. This came in a Samuel Adams holiday pack, and each beer was tasty in it’s own delightful way.

Lionshead is not a new beer for me, or even a fancy beer. If you can see in the picture, it is made in Wilkes-Barre, PA, aka right near home. Drinking this transports me right back to college and memories of crazy nights with great friends.
At about 15 bucks a case, you can’t go wrong. The matching nails were a happy coincidence.

Holiday nails and a holiday ale! This is a tasty, Christmas-y treat! The first sip is a festive flavor punch.
This was the one and only Fezziwig I got to enjoy. But I think that’s what keeps it so special.

Woodchuck Hard Cider is one of my favorite drinks EVER. And I’m not just talking in terms of alcoholic beverages. It’s not heavy on the alcohol content and it is just too tasty for words. The classic Amber flavor is my go-to, but I’m game to try every flavor. This particular cider is called Crisp, and is considered a session cider. It’s not a personal favorite of the flavors, it kind of reminds me of a green apple
Jolly Rancher. For me, that’s a little too sweet to enjoy. I did have the winter cider, though, and it’s beyond tasty.

The Best Two Days of the Week

This was my first “normal” weekend in three weeks. Thanks to the holidays, I enjoyed a couple of three-day weekends. Personally, I think we should always have three-day weekends. But whatever. Since the holidays are over (sad, but true), it was back to open, free weekends with very few plans. I like those relaxing types. A successful date night with Brad, lunch and shopping with my sister, an impromptu gathering with friends over a few too many drinks, and a sublimely lazy Sunday. Yes.

Some photos from date night (terrible quality, dark place, iPhone photos…sorry!).

Happy Friday!

It may have been a short week, but I still found myself itching for the weekend. Thankfully, it's here!

After the craziness of the holidays, I find myself pretty plan-less this weekend. Instead of being sad, though, it's a total relief. Now I can just follow my heart and do whatever I want (okay, WE want...since I'm spending it with Brad!).

We are kicking off the weekend with a little date to Rustic Kitchen. So excited. It's my treat, they have delicious food, and we can really use a quiet date night, just the two of us.

Have an awesome weekend!!!

Down Time

Considering the holidays were just upon us, you might be surprised to learn that I haven’t really spent as much time at home with my family as I would’ve liked. “Family” dinner with friends, enjoying the company of our long-distance friend Ed, cuddling with my boyfriend over the holidays, New Year’s Eve partying and recovering. I feel like I haven’t been at home at all. So I decided to spend the last couple of nights at home. Mostly doing laundry and organizing my room (remember, it’s one of my “resolutions” for the year…), but also enjoying beverages from the Keurig (like a hot apple cider I maybe spiked with some white wine), Chinese from my favorite takeout spot, dog-sitting Artie, and getting back into nail art (Huge thanks to Little Nails, a fairly new blog that is SO lovely and inspiring!).

Lana Del Rey

When it comes to music, I can be a little picky and finicky on the first listen. A couple of months ago, my sister was playing Lana Del Rey on YouTube and trying to introduce me to it. Guess it wasn’t the right time for me. Cut to last Thursday. Maria starts playing the few videos
Lana Del Rey has and they stuck with me. I’ve been playing Video Games and Blue Jeans repeatedly (annoying my boyfriend along the way).
I just love the beautiful lyrics and music and her wonderful voice. Can’t wait for her album to come out at the end of the month.

Outfit: Business In Front/Party In Back

Introducing my New Year’s Eve outfit. This ASOS playsuit (similar one here) was one of my Christmas presents and I positively love it. I have a soft spot for rompers and I probably always will. They are such a fun variation on a dress. Mine has a secret…

I loved this piece from the start, but the open back sold me. It’s a fun little surprise. I’m a little shy about showing skin, but a backless piece is an interesting way to do it, and maybe not as risqué as some other flesh-revealing outfits. I paired my outfit with my some of my favorite flats, a new pair of sweater tights, and my Hello Kitty Bow Ring. That was another present, and I find myself wanting to wear the ring all the time and start a collection of two-finger/brass knuckles-style rings.

Playsuit – ASOS/Tights – Hot Sox/Ring – Fred Flare/Shoes - Target

Fresh Start

Hope your New Year is starting off well!

I’ve been thinking a lot about resolutions lately. Obviously I would be, because it’s that time of year. The thing is, I don’t really care for them. I’m not necessarily down talking them, but I guess I’ve always believed in changing things at your own pace. Not at January 1st, with so much pressure and expectation. And, okay, maybe I do believe that most of the time, the resolutions don’t really work out. But that doesn’t mean that I am against changing your life for the better! For the past few weeks, I’ve been writing down things I’d really like to do/change. Not necessarily right this second, because it’s the first few days of the first month of a new year. But because I feel like they would benefit my life if I finally approached them with an open mind and arms. So, here’s a list. Cuz maybe if I put them here, it’ll happen.

• Keep reading! I went through so many books last year, and there are a bunch more I want to read. But I usually only read at work. The thing is, I’d really like it to trickle into my downtime and help keep me away from technological overload.
• Utilize my cameras frequently! I still absolutely love every camera I own, but towards the end of 2011, I relied heavily on my iPhone. Why wouldn’t I? It basically is several different cameras in one adorable little package. But I miss waiting for film to develop, miss editing photos. I miss going out on adventures to take pictures. I lost my photographic passion towards the end of the year, and I’d really like to get it back.
• Stay social! Towards the end of 2011, I was getting out a lot more. Seeing people I hadn’t seen in forever and developing better bonds with the people in my life. I want to keep this going. It also reminds me that I’m 24 (well, 25 this year) and, with few responsibilities holding me back, this is the time to live it up! (Though I’ll always try and live it up, no matter how old I am).
• GET TO BED EARLY! This one is super important. Most days I wake up grumpy and wishing I had more time to hit the snooze. But a lot of that has to do with the sheer fact that I stay up much later than I should (I need to wake up around 7 and I tend to go to bed around 1. I know 6 hours might work for some people, but it doesn’t for me). I am happier, feel healthier, and pleasant all around when I get a full night of sleep.
• Eat better/Exercise. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. I’d be lying if I said this didn’t have a little bit to do with vanity (who doesn’t want to look better in their clothes?), but a lot of this has to do with my health. When I was hitting the gym with Brad a few times a week, my attitude really perked up, along with my stamina and strength. And eating healthy is just a smart thing to do. Will it stop me from pigging out on wings and having one too many plates at the Chinese buffet? Not all the time. But on a daily basis, I need to be smart about what I put in my body and how I treat it.
• ORGANIZE. I am embarrassed and ashamed of what my room looks like. I am honestly a lazy person. The fact that I’ve kept this blog going for nearly 3 years is a miracle. I often wonder why I hate being home…it really has to do with the fact that I don’t have a cozy space to call my own. Yes, I have a bedroom with a closet and a television. I also have boxes all over the floor, and those boxes are topped with clothes, and those clothes are covered with more clothes. I need to seriously tackle my room, once and for all, and KEEP IT NEAT. Find a system that works and use it everyday. It may take an extra 5 minutes everyday, but it’ll be worth it.
• Work on a better financial situation. I’m not where I would like to be financially. I don’t make a lot of money, I still live at home, I drive a Buick that’s almost as old as me (though I do love that gray, rusting boat of a car) and falling apart slowly, bless it’s engine. I would really like to live on my own, to maybe be able to buy a new car. I don’t expect nor need to be rich. But it would be nice to be making enough money to pay my bills and live comfortably on my own. I’ll be turning 25…I’d like to feel 25 haha.
• Make room for “Me Time” and speak up about my feelings. Maybe these could be two separate things, but I think they go together. Basically, I feel like I have to be a bunch of different versions of myself for different people. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be there for people, but I usually lose myself in the mix. I just think it’s really important to relax and take care of yourself so you can be at your best.
• Out with the old and in with the new. I could lump this in with organization but it belongs on it’s own. As I mentioned before, my room is a mess. And, the thing is, a lot of it has to do with my clothes. I have SO MUCH. And, while I love it all, I have to be honest with myself and give away the things I no longer wear. I think the reason I started to buy a lot more clothes in the recent past is because I’m over a lot of the clothes I have. There are things in my closet and drawers that I got back in college. I believe there are a few things that have been in there since high school. A lot of these things never see the light of day. They need to go. They need to be available to people who could truly use them. Not that I don’t want a nice big closet filled with beautiful clothes, but that’s just the thing. It needs to be filled with the beautiful things I actually want to wear. So I have to say goodbye.

Anybody have any good resolutions or hopeful life wishes?