I'll admit it, cooking is not something I claim to be any expert in. In fact, up until a few months ago my cooking "specialties" consisted of Kraft mac & cheese, tuna sandwiches and anything microwavable. But, when it comes to baking it's a whole other story. Well...not exactly, but I'm MUCH better at baking and I actually enjoy it.
My mom wasn't the biggest cook, but she loved to bake-so I definitely think I inherited her culinary skills (or lack thereof, sorry mom!) Another thing I inherited...her beloved cook books. Even though she didn't use them often, she certainly had a lot of them! She also put together a personalized recipe book for me that consists of all my favorite recipes that she made. Some of my favorites: pumpkin bread, my grandpa's vegetable soup, cherry cola salad, dutch pancakes and my all-time favorite dessert, fruit pizza.
Since I have a decent amount of time on my hands, I've decided that now is the perfect time to learn (or attempt to learn) how to cook. Besides the cookbooks, I've spent a lot of time gathering recipes online from:
One of the things I'm most looking forward to about getting a job (besides the paycheck, of course) is buying new clothes. I admit- I have clothes. I have a lot of clothes. However, I do not have a lot of work appropriate clothes.
One of the things I spend my days doing is searching my favorite stores online and planning out my future wardrobe. The only thing stopping me from going out and buying these new work clothes (besides the $$$) is the fact that some law firms range from more business casual to conservative and very professional. Therefore, until I have a job and know what the "culture" of my firm will be, I will refrain from breaking the bank and stuffing my closet full of new pretties.
However, a girl can still dream. So, here are a few of my current favorites:
I love this Wool flannel jacket (minus the pants) from J. Crew for a more casual alternative to the traditional suit jacket.
Love this Calvin Klein Sheath dress. Very conservative (paired with a cardigan or suit jacket), classic, yet still feminine.
Another sheath dress paired with a ruffled cardigan jacket from Banana Republic. Love this look (minus the shoes)-but only for a more casual day.
Love this classic, pinstripe 2-button J. Crew suit. I'd pair it with a nicer blouse/shell.
This Banana Republic silk ruffle shell would be perfect under any suit.
Nordstrom also has a wonderful selection of suits, dresses and shells.
What are your favorite stores to shop for work clothes?
I moved to my current city about 3 months ago. There were various reasons for the move: I had always planned to leave LA (where I went to law school), my boyfriend lived here, I had always wanted to live here, there would be better job opportunities, etc. However, one thing I did not think so much about was friendships. Outside of my boyfriend and some of his friends, I only knew one other person in my current city. Actually, she is one of my best friends, but, she is currently teaching abroad for the next year :(
Since I'm currently unemployed I pretty much stay home all day. My boyfriend works and goes to school (even on Saturdays!) so I'm home alone a lot. I've always liked to be alone and never had a problem entertaining myself (only child over here), but I'm kinda getting sick of it. Besides the occasional trip to the gym I really don't have anywhere to go each day. I have no friends to hang out with. For example, today, I'm considering going to a movie by myself-just so I can get out of the house and do something!
I had a wonderful idea a few nights ago: I would join the Junior League. For those of you who may not be familiar with JL, it's an international organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism and improving the community. It's a wonderful organization that I would be proud to be a part of AND it would help me meet people and potentially make wonderful friends. However, my excitement soon turned to sadness when I saw that applications to join had just closed a few weeks prior. Soooo, my bright idea is no longer a possibility (at least for another year when they accept new applications).
So, my question to you is: how can I meet people?! Outside of work, school and Church-what are some ways you've made friends? Any organizations similar to Junior League that you know of?
I recently joined twitter and let me say I am utterly O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D!! It's absolutely addicting, even though I'm not the most interesting or creative tweeter. I'd love to follow more people so if you use twitter post your name in the comments so I can follow you!!
As I've already mentioned oh one or two times on this blog- I'm unemployed and bored. The first week of having nothing to do was relaxing, the second week was nice, the third week was manageable and somewhat productive (cleaning the house isn't so bad when you have absolutely nothing else to do!) But now, almost 4 weeks in with having no commitments has left me feeling downright bored! The situation is not made any easier due to the fact that my boyfriend just started school so between that and work he's gone most days.
I really need to find something to do all day. A hobby, a job, anything! Since I'm having trouble on the job front I guess I need a hobby. But that's the problem, I can't think of one! So that's where I need help. Help!
Tell me, what hobbies do you have? If you had all the free time in the world, what would you be doing?
When I was younger I used to have a beautiful collection of decorative teapots. Whenever my family would go on vacation we would find a teapot to add to the collection. Every holiday and birthday I would receive a teapot from a family member. I would even save my own babysitting money to buy teapots. But, as I grew older, my love for collecting teapots dwindled and they now sit in the living room china cabinet of my childhood home.
Throughout the years I’ve always wanted to find something else to collect. If you were to ask my boyfriend he would tell you I collect many things: animals, shoes, clothes, jewelry, makeup, nail polish, etc. But, I’ve always wanted to find something of substance to collect.
Before my mom passed away she had an affinity for hourglasses. My mom had cancer and the hourglass had symbolic meaning to her. After she passed, I gathered the few, but gorgeous, hourglasses she had and moved them to my home. They serve as a constant reminder of my mom and remind me to cherish every single day.
Since I have a lot of free time on my hands, as of late, I’ve developed a few obsessions that I’d like to share.
1.Reading (yeah, I know, reading shouldn’t be an “obsession” but I’ve spent the last 3 years in law school with absolutely no free time to do any outside reading, so now that I’m done I have plenty of time to do some leisure reading!) I just finished reading Presumed Innocent, Little Bee and I’m currently working on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Anyone have book recommendations for me?
2.Nail Polish- I’m the type of girl who cannot stand to look at my unpolished nails and toes so I tend to go a bit overboard and paint them at least 3-4 times per week. I probably own close to 75 nail polishes (obsessed, I told you!). My go-to nail polish brands: Essie, OPI, Chanel and Rescue Beauty Lounge.
3.Reality TV- This isn’t really a current obsession as much as it is an all the time obsession, but since I have tons of time to do nothing I find myself watching more and more TV. I love all of the Real Housewives shows on Bravo, Big Brother, Cops, Las Vegas Jailhouse, Keeping up with the Kardashians (which, like most “reality” shows these days seems to be overly scripted at times), and many others.
4.Puzzles- Yes, you read that right, puzzles. I recently bought two gigantic 1000 piece puzzles from Costco. Within a couple of days I finished the 1st. See?
5.My Puppy- Technically my 2 year old Chihuahua is no longer a “puppy” and he isn’t only a “current” obsession but because I’m at home more now we are spending tons of time together. This summer we’ve gone to dog beach, dog parks and obedience school numerous times.
6.Starbucks Refreshers- Not sure if Starbucks has released the Refreshers in your neighborhood yet (my city has been the “test” city for a few weeks now) but once they do run, don’t walk, to try them out! A refresher is an iced drink that combines fruit and extract made from unroasted green coffee beans. Apparently they are low-cal and have less caffeine. They come in two flavors: Very Berry Hibiscus with whole blackberries and Cool Lime with fresh mint and both flavors are DELICIOUS!
So who am I you may ask...well, I just graduated law school in May and took the bar exam. I live in So Cal with my boyfriend, two cats and dog. I'm currently unemployed and since I have a lot of time on my hands (you know, besides non-stop job searching) I've decided to do something productive with my time and BLOG!
I can't exactly predict what my blogs will be about, but since my days are filled with lots of TV watching, nail polishing and dog walking I'm bound to encounter something interesting...right?
