Happy New Year

Dear Readers,

We hope you have a fun and safe time celebrating the New Year!!

Happy New Year!

xoxo
B & L

Thirsty Thursday

Holiday Mimosa

Ring in the New Year with a taste of this delicious drink.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup Orange Liqueur (like Grand Marnier®)
• 2 Tablespoons White Sugar
• 1 Cup of Orange Juice
  
• 1 (think 750 mL) Bottle Brut Champagne (chilled)

Pour the orange liqueur in a bowl. Put the sugar in a saucer. This will set up a little working station so dip the rims of the glasses (this recipe serves 6) in the orange liqueur and then in the sugar. After the glasses have a thin sugared rim, pour the remaining orange liqueur in each glass. Add champagne.

Enjoy.

Recipe from allrecipes.com.

Loves it, Hates It

Posted by: L

So, fellow readers and bloggers, I'm sitting here rifling through the J.Crew website (oh, don't act so surprised!) after I received their 20% off Final Sale and Free Shipping E-mail a couple days ago.

Yea, it was just Christmas (Hanukkah, Chanukah, Kwanza, Festivus...), but I'm looking at essentials. Now is not the time to raise your eyebrows and judge.

(Enter "EXTRA20" at checkout. Expires January 3. Make sure you read the fine print...it's free shipping after the discount has been applied and your bag must have $150 in it then..ohhh yea, they getcha with that fine print. sneaky skeaky...scowl, scowl. Not because $150 is so hard to put in your bag, it is just that I am more apt to virtually swipe the plastic when there is no minimum.)

Now, onto why this post is a "Hates It." (Aside from their sneaky fine print!)

Loves the Crew. Hates that there are several items just sitting in my shopping bag that are on sale, including one such navy Jackie cardi and one black bouquet sash belt that while on sale, shall not qualify for the 20% off because they are not final sale. Why do you do this to me, J.? Sale, but not "Final Sale"? Oh, come on!

Even though I currently have one belt, very similar to the one I am lusting after that I had.to.have. and have not styled yet (aka it is sitting on top of a pile of other clothes. SHAME.) ... I'm just waiting for that perfect moment. heh heh And, I would probably wait the same on the bouquet belt and Jackie cardi..but, I do love the cardi.

(And, I accidentally ordered a light blue cami from the Crew that just needs the cardi to complete it. It needs its big sister. I know. Post on that one to come later.)

Ugh, what to do? What to do? Do I wait and hope they qualify at a later date and risk missing out? (Although they should usually have the navy Jackie..the belt is another story. I did also scour the Crew in Copley yesterday, nada. And their Jackies were full price.)

I am shaking my fist at you, J.Crew!

Thirsty Thursday

White Christmas Dream

Enjoy this little joy on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and whenever you might be in the spirit. For those of you who don't celebrate Christmas no need to fear you can have yourself a little White Dream to enjoy on any day of the week.

Ingredients:

• 1 Oz Amaretto
• 1 Oz Heavy Cream
• 1 Oz Vodka

Combine everything into a shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

If's you're really in the spirit try garnishing your drink with nutmeg....tasty.

Don't forget to be safe.

Drink from thatsthespirit.com.

Dear Santa,

Dear Santa,

I have tried my best to be a really good girl this year. (I know, sometimes it wasn't pretty.)

But, if you pleeeeeease (pretty, pretty please with a cherry AND sprinkles on top!) bring me these two things, oh, I will just be SO GOOD you won't even know it's me, L!

Juicy Couture Leopard-Print Dog Coat

(And, ok, maybe a matching coat for her new mommy!)

Thanks!

Love you lots, Santa!

XOXO

L

Frugal is the New Black

FREE SHIP DAY IS HERE!

In an effort to get all of us cyber shoppers to have everything delivered just.in.time for Christmas (with ground delivery), sooo many online retailers are offering Free Shipping promos and upgrades.

L, sitting pretty in her chair, is most.definitely going to be taking advantage of the offer from Forever21 because she is still on a high from all the goodies she found during her last in-store trip. Ahhh! Just need to make it through a four hour study session!

Coupon codes, like she posted for Cyber Monday, will be up a little later this afternoon.

Also, don't forget to launch all of your online orders through EBates-- c'mon guys, free shipping AND cash back?! Click the link to the left, or ok here, to sign yourself up. L just received a little check for $13.14. ha ha, not much, but she only made one online purchase. You get the idea.

Thirsty Thursday

Snow Cap

We've already had some snow fall this month, so why not have a sip of a snow inspired drink?


Ingredients:

• 1/2 Irish Cream (Bailey's)
  
• 1/2 Tequila
  

Pour the layer of tequila on the bottom of the glass.

Slowly pour the Bailey's so that it layers itself on top of the tequila.

Enjoy!

Photo and recipe from idrink.com.

Loves It, Hates It

The price tag on Target's N.Y.L.A. Extravaganza Pump: "Hates It"

For the record B thinks the shoes are super cute and just to die for. Unfortunately, Target has decided to price them at $109.99 (online price).


No, your eyes do not deceive you, those shoes are over $100 (without shipping and handling) and from TARGET!!

I could understand if you went to Target to buy a TV, camera, etc. and the product was over $100 that's expected but for shoes? No, No, No. If I decide to buy a pair a shoes at Target I would expect between $20 and $35, not $110.00.

Don't forget about its slogan. "Expect More. Pay Less."

After several years of frugal shopping at Target I have come to expect more and pay less unfortunately now is the time it decides to list a pair of shoes for $110. One question. How is that paying less? If I wished to spend that money I would go to Nordstrom.

Maybe Target decided to follow H&M and start to add designer items at a fraction of what it normally would be (H&M has lines from Jimmy Choo and now advertising Sonia Rykiel).

However, with a solgan, Expect More. Pay Less the price of these shoes is just absurd. B could understand if Target decided to price them between $50 and $75. Fine. But for $110. B just doesn't understand.

Thirsty Thursday

Brighton Punch

If you're a fan of sipping on a Long Island Ice Tea, give this a try!

Ingredients:

6 oz. Straight Bourbon Whiskey

6 oz. Brandy

6 oz. Bénédictine

12 oz. Fresh Orange Juice

6 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

One 18 oz. Bottle Soda Water, chilled

Garnish: Orange and Lemon Wheels

Instructions:

Combine the first five ingredients in a punch bowl and stir thoroughly.

Add a large ice mold or block of ice and the soda water.

Stir gently.

Ladle into chilled punch glasses.

Garnish each with orange and lemon wheels.

Recipe from "Mr. Boston: Holiday Cocktails" here or in stores at Crate & Barrel (spied it at the Natick Collection..but online it's $5 less!).

Loves It, Hates It

Lady Gaga making a cameo in Beyoncé music video: "Loves It!"

Lady Gaga makes a sexy cameo and is featured on the remix of Beyoncé's song "Video Phone".

Could it get any better?

Maybe....if there was a throw back to the Lady Marmalade days when four or five fab singers/performers team up together to create one hot single. Perhaps this time around we could see Madonna, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. Rihanna would be an amazing add to mix up the dynamics to form the Fab Five (B is obviously starting to get ahead of herself).

Looking at it from a practical standpoint all five of them have a connection with at least one other Fab Five member so it wouldn't be that much of a stretch. Plus there have even been several collaborations already...so let's just push those collaborations a little bit further.

Three words to describe this type of project: Music Executive's Fanatsy.

*Sigh* If only.

Hot Mess or Fashion Success?

So, this past weekend L visited Forever 21. Now, it has been over a year since she has stepped foot in this fine clothier. Partly because it's a clusterfuck, partly because she needs her partner to help her stay calm.

(Last time with Shawnie, said partner in need, Summer 2008, in the Dirtiest State in the Union -- XO MISS YOU!)

Now, a little preface: Before the girls' summer shopping extravaganza, she had purchased a cute black and white pencil skirt (trés work appropriate...and from "back in the day" when the only F21 near her was in Provi!)...only to have it rip up the back slit. She had it reinforced, but it ripped again.

Now, we don't know if it's the Forever 21 craftsmanship (or lack thereof) or if it's L's ever-expanding assets that caused the double rip around the glutes. But, in her defense, she also had a cute leopard print sweater that lost most of it's coloring and became pilly after one wash...so she was a little skeptical.

And, onto the story: But, dear Readers, this time she was with Momma, and Momma has quite the eye!! And so, L had quite the case of the grabby hands this weekend!

She scored a number of cute sweaters (adorned with pearls and bows and beads) for work (that she's hoping and praying they won't get destroyed after one wash) and this:

My Little Black Dress Tank, $14.80

(Oh, it's going to be super cute with a blank tank underneath and black leggings! ::squeals with delight at childish find::)

LOOK AT THAT TUTU!!

(Hey now, let her have this! She stayed out of Abercrombie...even if it took all her willpower!)

But, lets stop for a minute and look at this skirt and ask ourselves a collective,

"What the F--k?"

Belted Glove Skirt, $32.00

It's like the skirt's little grabby hands are trying to grope you! "Ahh, no! My unmentionables!!!"

You stay away, you Michael Jackson belt! (Too soon??)

And, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't boys suppose to try to get up/in your skirt??

heh heh heh

BOSTON UNCOMMON

Roger Sterling, is that you??

Spotted at the Boston Auto Show this past weekend.

Hmmmm..my, you haven't aged a bit!

'Tis the Season..

Hi Readers and Fellow Bloggers!

One of L's dear friends is training to participate in an olympic distance triathlon. He and his team are raising money to support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Further information and a link to make a donation can be found here.

If you can make a donation to support him, the Society, and their efforts to eliminate blood cancer, please do!

Thanks in advance!

Thirsty Thursday

Beachcomber

It's the last week of classes...finals are quickly approaching....it's times like these you wish it was summer again so you can relax on the beach and sip on your fab drink.

Here's a little throw back to the good summer days B & L wish they could be enjoying right now.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 oz Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka
• 1/4 oz Captain Morgan Parrot Bay Coconut Rum
• 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice
• 1/4 oz Orange Juice
• 1 Slice Orange

Mix the Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Pineapple Juice, and Orange Juice in a shaker with ice. Strain into a glass with ice. Garnish an orange slice.

Enjoy!

Recipe from TheBar.com.

Water Cooler

Setting: Mid-November. B is at her desk in the front of the office. B's manager comes out to the front for a quick second. B and her manager start chatting.

Black Friday manages to come up in the convo and B without hesitation tells her manager how much she loves Black Friday and it should be a recognized holiday. B's manager had a little celebration for Black Friday too...her 25th Wedding Anniversary!!

Well after hearing this B was so ecstatic and said: "Oh my! That's wonderful!! What month did you get married in?" (sad part is B was completely serious at the time).

B's manager looks at her confused and simply says: "November".

B's only response: "Duh. You just said Black Friday was your anniversary and it is in November what a silly question...it's been a rough week".

Really B? Really?

Way to make an impression!

Loves It, Hates It

Lately, L has been obsessed with Alicia Keys and has even made herself a little Alicia Keys/Miles Davis station for Pandora.. loves it.

So, have you guys seen this video or heard her new song, Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" on the radio?

What do you think? Loves it? Hates it? Chime in below...