And lately, where is what is keeping me in front my screen (both phone and computer) more:

I blame Twitter and my super chic friends for getting me hooked on Fab. I’ve only purchased some chocolate sea salt caramels and a print now but I have a huge “wish list” of things I would like to buy. Journals that look like Legos? YES. Prints of Chicago El stations? YES. Turkish-inspired jewelry and earrings that look like a butterfly wing? YES PLEASE.

Seriously, I am going to be so poor because of this site.

And Pinterest. I joined, pinned several things and then promptly stopped using it. It’s so easy to pin things and I have no idea why I took a break. But over the last week, I am back and on this site A LOT. Clothes, shoes, apartment inspiration and my absolute favorite, guy/girl celeb crushes. I am a pinning machine.

Now, I have to limit myself to viewing/pinning each day because otherwise, you will never see me again.

Speaking of which, it’s almost my dedicated Pinterest time, let’s see what everyone is sharing today.

What keeps you on the computer more than it should?

But, that’s life in the big city where you rely on public transportation and tourists are a way of life.

So in the celebration of this season, here is my recent list of pet peeves (winter edition):

• Long hair - Yes, this is my choice, but it gets stuck in everything! Scarves, zippers, coats, etc. It is driving me bananas
• Sweating - The buses have turned on the heat and when you’re smushed in the bus with the heat blasting and a heavy coat on, it is like sitting in a hotbox. Awful
• Static electricity - For some reason, I shock everyone. Might be shuffling my feet or the dryness of my apartment but everything and everyone I touch, I shock them. Embarrassing
• Dry skin - The wind here chaps my skin and dries it out like the desert. I’m constantly applying lotion and lip balm. Thank goodness for Kiehl’s Whipped Creme de Corps, feels like butter on my skin

It’s funny because prior to today, this Chicago winter has been very mild. Now, it’s snowing, with inches already on the ground and snow and temps are getting back semi-seasonal 30 degree highs temps.

I may have to amend this post with “pet peeves: snow edition” shortly. Because once snow falls, people get way dumber about how to get around in the city. No kidding.

What’s bothering you about this winter season?

This weekend was full of two things: organizing and cleaning.

Plus, a little drinking.

What drove me to drink? Well, I hate coming home to a mess. When I go to work, I pick up before I leave, same when I go on trips.

Friday, when I got the call that painting was (finally) over in my apartment, I went home to find a huge mess. The painters left extension cords, garbage and supplies everywhere. This is in addition to all of my stuff sitting in piles to make room for them.

Let’s just say, I wasn’t thrilled.

But, rather than clear off the bed and crash, I opted to take one for my team and get to work. And about 7-8 hours later (between Friday night and Saturday), my apartment started to look normal again. Furniture moved, items purged, donation piles created, etc.

Sure, I still have work to do but it’s nice to have things back in their place and lay down on the couch.

Plus, I have to say, the new walls look really nice. The only downside, seeing my place in disarray and how “new” the place looks, it doesn’t totally feel like home. Just another adjustment but I’m so glad this is over with :)

And when I needed a break from the mess at home, I went out and had some beverages. And my a “couple,” I mean six. Thank goodness for dinner and fresh air…and ibuprofen the next day, wink wink.

How was your weekend?

But then there are those ruts where it all goes to hell and you barely put forth the effort to shower.

Recently, after some personal life stuff, I found myself in this rut. I could barely get myself out of bed, let alone think about how I looked. I went to work for two days barely showered, hair a mess, glasses on and outfits that looked like I was either a) color blind or b) dressed myself in the dark.

And I felt awful too, for multiple reasons.

Then, on day three, when I still wanted to hide, I forced myself to try.

And it was as simple as putting/forcing my contacts in, putting on a dress and slapping some make up on my face.

And when I looked in the mirror, I saw a spark of the old me and felt like part of the cardigan of sadness was coming off.

So for NYE, when I was going to be just with the girls, I decided to put some effort in to it, just for me.

That included: date bra, scented lotion (I only wear this on dates too), freshly shaved legs, mani/pedi done and full face, eye and lip make up.

Only my friends saw this but I didn’t care. I felt great and thought I looked great.

So that’s my plan now, keep myself from backsliding in to this wardrobe rut and keep trying because if you’re looking good, you’re feeling good. And even if you’re not feeling 100% great, do the best you can.

Do you get dressed up sometimes just for you?

I cannot believe 2011 is almost over. I know, it was just Christmas and I’m surprised NYE is coming up so quickly? Well yeah, I am.

In digging up last year’s post to see if I made strides on my resolution, I was grateful to find that I kept it simple.

My 2011 resolution was to “keep trying new things.” So was I successful?

Yeah, I think I was!

Some of 2011′s highlights:

• Italy. I mean, two weeks alone in a foreign country where I barely spoke the language? That was huge and an amazing experience
• Trapeze. I will never do it again and was scared out of my f*cking mind but I did it and can cross it off my “want to try” list
• Dating. Yes, this didn’t work out as I hoped, but I gave it an honest shot and put myself out there more than I have in a long time. And maybe the next one will turn out differently
• FOOD. From Italy to Seattle to Vancouver to Chicago to Milwaukee, I’ve had a lot of amazing meals and tried a lot of new things, some that were tastier than others. But still, I have some very fond food memories
• Oprah! Yes, thanks to the Chicago blizzard, I got last minute tickets to the Oprah Winfrey Show (before it went off the air) and even got a little camera time. That was an awesome experience
• Acting like a crazed teen. Seeing Weezer play the Blue Album in concert with Mega was amazing. The 17 year old inside of me was wicked excited (but not about the mosh pit)

So what is the plan for 2012? Much of the same, travel, food and continuing to try new things and challenge myself.

I may not always be successful but I won’t know unless I try.

And I’m very optimistic and excited to see what 2012 has in store for me. Hopefully it will include a make out or two as well.

What are your 2012 resolutions?

Anyhow, the big holiday weekend is almost here and I am getting ready to head home, to bake, stuff myself with deliciousness and spend time with people I’m related to (including my beloved fur nephew). I also need a break from Chicago so I can keep working toward feeling like the old me.

Oh and I will try to also watch Love Actually one more time. Seriously, I love that movie. LOVE.

My gifts are packed, laundry done and I am ready to have a puppy smother me in kisses soon.

There is lots of other fun things to look forward to this weekend, including movies and being reunited with my high school best friend, who I haven’t seen in a long time.

Lots happening in the other mitten state.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend and safe travels wherever you are off to.

I will be back next week with a full holiday and shenanigans recap :) I leave you for now with a video of puppies under the tree, seriously, it will make you explode from cuteness.

Oh, and I hope Santa is extra good to each of you, wink wink.

Love, JB

FOUR YEARS later, it still is.

Holy sh*t, today is my four-year blogoversery. (Big thanks to Teena in Toronto for the reminder!)

When I started this, I didn’t think I would still be doing it in three months, let alone five years. It is, my longest commitment.

So here is what I would write to my blog in its birthday card:

Yep, I jumped the gun and put a 5th birthday picture up

Dear blog,

Today, you are five years old. I cannot believe it (literally).

In five years together, there have been a lot of ups and downs. You have given me a lot of positive things: introducing me to close friends who I love dearly, taken me to Vegas, New York, Boulder and Seattle, and given me an outlet to express myself. But of course, when things are down, I want nothing more than to shut you down and forget I ever started this.

Despite this bumpy road, we’re still here, five years later and I still enjoy posting here, so it looks like we have another year together ahead of us. It may not always be easy, but with award fashion season coming up, I am excited.

Love, JB

Happy birthday blog, cheers to another year.

Anyhow, yesterday I was cruising around Facebook (always a source for entertainment) and found this.

No lie, I laughed for two minutes, then went back, watched it again and laughed harder (I missed things the first time).

If you didn’t see this making the rounds, it’s a video (with Juliette Lewis?!) that is all things girl say, apparently on a regular basis.

I am guilty of saying 90-95 percent of these things, especially the following:

• “Why doesn’t my computer work??”
• “Did I lock the door?” INSERT DRAMATIC PAUSE “Yes”

Seriously, get out of my head!

Anyhow, that is what made me laugh yesterday. Baby steps! I also wore a dress and put in my contacts today. Hopefully these are other steps in the right direction.

Also, I wanted to say a big thank you to all of the sweet comments, emails, calls and texts I’ve received in response to the last post. You guys are the best and your sweet words made my day :)

Do you sound like any part of the video?

So, I’m behind in getting in the holiday spirit. In fact, I need it delivered to me like a shot of adrenaline to my heart (cue Pulp Fiction.)

And this weekend, where I was finally at home and able to relax, I kicked off the holiday season JB-style.

I decorated my tree and wrote out holiday cards, with holiday music playing in the background (and me singing out loud). No kidding, I was looking forward to this all week.

My favorite part of the holiday season (minus buying gifts) is decorating my tree. My ornaments are very important to me and I love displaying them, even in my small apartment.

Here is a picture of my 2011 tree, with a few new additions, courtesy of a trip to Macy’s.

Sure, I’m biased, but damn this is a nice lookin’ tree.

And after this baby was up, I watched my favorite holiday movie with the tree lighting my apartment.

I love this movie.

Hello holiday spirit, I think you’re finally coming over me.

How are you getting in to the holiday spirit?

After this weekend, I have a whole new appreciation for preparing Thanksgiving dinner because it is no joke. For me, it was a bundle of nerves, anxiety and doubt, but in the end, it was a big accomplishment and sense of pride.

That’s right, my SIL and I both prepared our first-ever Thanksgiving meal. And I only have one cut and two burns to show for it (each hurt).

So let’s do a little recap with link love of what we made:

• Turkey (no link, was pre-cooked)
• Corn and wild rice
• Cranberry and dried cherry relish
• Butternut squash soup
• Party potatoes
• Sweet potato hash
• Creamy green bean casserole with fried shallots
  

And everything turned out DELICIOUS. Being a perfectionist, I would make adjustments to the green bean casserole and soup recipes next year, but everyone assured me they were delicious as-is, so I can quiet my concerns.

The hardest part was the prep and rotating items in the oven, plus reheating the next day. This, plus exhaustion, lead to my battle wounds too. An oven rack burn on your arm at 325 degrees? OUCH.

The best part? Cooking everything with my SIL, working together with my brother to get the house ready, appetizers out and entertain our guests. The good china came out and everything! I have to say, we were a great team and I don’t think it would have been possible without them.

It looks like we’ll be doing this again next year too and I’m already buzzing with ideas of what to change and make.

Now, I’m ready for a nap and days of leftovers :) So let’s look at some pictures!

GD that is one sexy turkey

View of the table (including our beverage, Miller Lite)

My Thanksgiving feast

How was your holiday weekend?

Before I head back to the kitchen to finish preparing the first Thanksgiving my SIL and I are preparing, I wanted to put up a post about being thankful.

This year has been full of change, but I’m still thankful for so many things in my life. Now, I just need to be better about being thankful for them year-long, not just today. Working on that.

So, here is my 2011 list of things I’m thankful for:

• Friends (old and new)
• A good job
• Ability to travel (and the balls to challenge myself to do it)
• Fur nephew/brother/SIL
• Ability to live in a good apartment in Chicago
• iPhone (even though AT&T sucks)
• Dishwasher
• Leggings (which always get me through the holidays)
• North Face jacket (which I’ve slept in twice and spilled a plethora of food on)
• Cooking accessories (which have helped me immensely in the last 24 hours – love you skillet)
• Not having to travel far for Thanksgiving
• Being as awesome this year as I was last year (high self-esteem much?)

Yep, that’s part of the list for this year. Some are ridiculous and some are serious (as you can tell).

I will be back with a full report on our Thanksgiving meal, but I will say this, the house already smells amazing.

I hope you all have a wonderful, food-filled Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for?

My only beef with the holiday season is that it starts SO EARLY. My mind works in steps: Halloween, Thanksgiving THEN Christmas. I have a very adverse reaction if that order is compromised.

So here is my timeline for holiday acknowledgement:

• Halloween – October 1 – 31
• Thanksgiving – November 1 – 25
• Christmas – November 26 – December 25 (I begin listening to Christmas music at this time too)
• Valentine’s Day – I don’t f*cking care or acknowledge this

Yeah, I just threw in the last one for laughs :)

Chicago regularly violates this timeline by kicking off some holiday activities before Thanksgiving, but I give them a mulligan because, well it’s magical. I may avoid stores that decorate for Christmas too early, but the city gets a pass.

And, I will break part of this timeline when I’m in New York in two weeks simply because I’ve never been in New York in fall or pre-holiday so I’m going to soak that magic up.

Soak it up like a SPONGE.

Are you a fan of early holiday celebrations/decor?

Yes, I’m still failing at blogging and reading blogs. Work/life is busy and with a few things happening I can’t talk yet about here, it leaves me lacking for things to write about. But, I’m optimistic things will turn around soon!

November is looking to be a busy month so I tried to de-stress this weekend by turning in to a hermit and being l-a-z-y.

I love lazy weekends. Seriously, as productive as I can be, I can be equally lazy.

Here are the some of the best parts of my lazy weekend:

• Sleeping until 10
• Laying in bed or on the couch reading
• Limiting productivity to small spurts, e.g. working out or taking out the trash
• Downloading new music and playing it continuously while doing bullet #2
• Two words: Shower optional
• Making new friends with delivery people as they drop off food for you

No kidding, the most productive things I did this weekend was go to the Nordstrom Sale and seeing 50/50 and Moneyball.

Everyone needs a break from the couch.

How was your weekend?

Friends of mine know that I’m not very Halloween-friendly. Maybe it’s because I’m more of a Christmas and Thanksgiving kind of girl but I’m very lacking in the Halloween-creative department.

Basically, I don’t dress in costume. Or my costume are scrubs (instant nurse!) or a hot pink wig that I pretend makes me a punk girl (it doesn’t) and my creative friends shake their head in semi-disgust.

But this year, I decided to do something new…TRY to put a costume together.

Problem was that almost all store bought costumes are slutty. Super slutty. And while I have the chest to fill it out, that’s not really “me.”

So with more creativity than normal, shopping my closet, borrowing from a friend and working eBay and Amazon like a pole, I came up with this:

 Hello 1960s stewardess! (in the center)

Clear the aisles and exit rows!

I don’t like to toot my own horn but OMG it came together so well. And with a little back combing, I thought I looked pretty good. People even thought I was a real stewardess, but they might have been drunk.

I really wish I had more pictures to share but I didn’t take any! BAD JESS! But thanks to Jessi (photo courtesy of her) for being an amazing photographer and providing me with some photographic proof of my costume skillz.

And to enhance the costume, I got little wine shooters and almond bags to hand out.

I don’t know if I’ll be as proactive on costumes next year, but it was kind of fun, I’ll admit that.

What did you dress up as?

I consider myself to be a pretty optimistic lady. I’m “glass half full” all the time, but lately I’ve been a bit more of a Debbie Downer.

Okay, maybe not THAT bad, but maybe a little bit of a Wallowing Winnie.

Here’s what’s brought this on:

• Pink eye. Woke up Thursday morning with it and have never had it before. Now I can’t wear eye makeup or contacts for a week. I’m really not digging for sympathy here, but this has taken a blow to my self esteem. I know I need to be au natural in the eyes but I feel embarrassed to have people see me. It’s tough
• Elevator. My building elevator has been out for more than five weeks and no one is telling us when it will be fixed. I hope my legs are like steel when it is fixed

But, I’m working through this little turn of bad karma and balancing out the negative with positives, such as:

• Working out. Even after a long day, I’m forcing myself to go and feeling better after. Great stress reliever
• Costume planning. Over the next two weekends, I have theme parties that I’m attending and I’ve been really scouring for some fun stuff for my costumes. I love a project :)
• Red lipstick. I never wear it but in prep for these parties, I treated myself to some, since that’s some of the only makeup I can wear right now. After sampling a few on Saturday, I found one that suits me and seeing my red lips in the store mirrors did make me smile

So that’s why I’ve been a little slow in posting lately. Once I get over this Debbie Downer/Wallowing Winnie hump, I will be back to being me, and being a little more regular in posts.

How is everyone else??

Let’s take a look at some stuff I’m loving this fall, non-weather wise.

Truffle honey butter – Was served this at a new Chicago restaurant, Morso, in Lincoln Park as part of my meal and nearly licked the mason jar it came in clean. Sadly, service at the restaurant wasn’t great that night so to make up for it, my waitress gave me a hunk of it to take home. It’s delicious, I would eat it with a spoon. I want more right now.

Suri’s Burn Book – A coworker shared this Tumblr and Twitter feed with me and I’m 100% obsessed. I literally check it daily for Suri’s new bitchy, mean girl commentary of celeb children and it has made me cry laughing several times. Let’s just say, she’s not a huge fan of the Jolie-Pitts and Garner-Affleck kids. She also has a huge ego, I love it.

The Real Milania G – As a Real Housewives of New Jersey fan, this is pretty much the best Twitter feed ever. The faux Twitter profile, written from the point of Teresa’s devil child Milania is really damn funny, especially during the RHONJ airings. I highly recommend it.

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery – I’m pretty much a Kiehl’s addict already but I finally started using my samples of this product at night and my face feels like butter. I have really dry/oily/sensitive skin and this feels really soothing and hydrating on it. Literally, I love the way my skin feels with this. It’s a little pricey so I’ll stick to samples for now but LOVE.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment – Friends have been using Fresh products for a while and preaching about their awesomeness but after my regular lip balm ran out (goodbye Burt’s Bees!), I picked this up at Sephora and cannot imagine living without it. Yes, it’s a little pricey too but I love how soft it makes my lips and gives them a little tint too (without being tarty). I will have to see if others agree they’re kissably soft one day.

Riding Boots - Two years ago I got my first pair of flat riding boots from  Banana Republic and have almost destroyed them from use. They’re super comfortable and perfect for wearing in snow and winter weather. Now I’m on the hunt for a new pair and finally found some similar ones at Nordstrom. They’re a little pricier than I wanted to pay but since I know I’ll wear them out, I’m okay with it. It’s almost boot season!!

What are you loving right now? Big weekend plans?

When friends made Harry Potter references, I nodded along, pretending that I got it, even though I didn’t. Then, as it got more popular, I refused to drink the Kool-Aid and start reading because, well it’s a matter of principle.

Then, TC invited me to a midnight showing of the final movie and after reading Entertainment Weekly’s sweet tribute to the series, I was intrigued.

So we went, and with a Cliff’s Notes version of the series from TC ahead of time, I was still confused but enjoyed the movie. Then, she gave me movies 2-6 to watch.

And suddenly I’m watching them on plane trips to the west coast…and then at home at night…and then on the weekends, sometimes tearing up to the point of soft crying. I mean, that sh*t is emotional.

To date, I’ve watched all DVDs, 1-7 (part 1) and now I need to see the final movie again. And I am strongly considering picking up the books because I know I missed a few things.

Damn you Harry Potter, you got me.

My favorite movies were Goblet of Fire, Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows Pt. 1.

The only thing I cannot forgive is this:

TRAGIC GOBLET OF FIRE HAIR.

It was very distracting.

So now I’m off to start gathering the books, I think we both know this is inevitable now.

BTW-is it me or is this series much better written and acted than Twilight?

What was your favorite book/movie from the series?

This was another one of those weekends, which was full of pugs, fresh air, good friends and….adult beverages.

The kind of weekend where I really see first-hand how many wonderful people are in my life and feel so appreciative that they are my friends.

It’s the kind of weekend where I go on a hot date at a coworkers house (photo of my date is below) and get to smother her pugs with attention and love. Yes, like my fur nephew, they hand it out for free.

His name is Chase and he’s so over me already

But after holding a baby and sniffing his head (which his mom was fine with), our sangria turned in to straight Merlot, which turned in to cocktails (then a fishbowl of them) and margaritas, which I blame for me being on the couch Saturday. Moments are fuzzy, but I can remember looking out on the city from the coworker’s deck, feeling the breeze on my face, hearing us laugh and thinking, yeah I’m happy.

It was also one of those weekends where I put aside my awkwardness (or most of it) and assembled a small group of close friends to have dinner on a patio, surrounded by Italian red and white wines, and several laughs at my expense. But looking around that table, seeing them there and talking among one another made me happy because they came out, spent several hours with me at dinner (seriously, service took forever) and then many joined me for a drink or two after, leaving me to walk in at 2 a.m.

So now it’s Sunday, I’m ready to get back in a routine. Let’s do this.

How was your weekend?

Movie Review: Finally saw the movie based off one of my favorite books – The Help

Today is my 32nd birthday.

Last year, I wrote about looking forward to starting my 30s without the “turning 30″ shadow over my head and going after (finally) what I want.

And I did. In the last year, I’ve challenged myself a lot and stepped (at times) VERY far out of my comfort zone, but now, these adventures have put me in an awkward spot: at a crossroads.

Not to wax poetic, but in the course of this year’s activities, such as going to Italy, visiting friends in other cities and going through some personal challenges with weight and home items, it has left me closing 31 and entering 32 feeling a bit…uncertain.

Now that I’m in my 30s, have a little more disposable income and no husband, kids or dog to keep me in Chicago, I have a lot on my mind about where the future is for me in several parts of my life.

But of course, I’m not dwelling on these things today :) These are real questions and answers that need to be addressed in the next year, but not right now.

And in looking back at this year and the things I did and didn’t do, overall, I still feel optimistic about the future and content at where my life is at now. And I love that.

Yes, I have pushed to make up for things I didn’t do in my 20s, gained and lost dear friends, but with every new adventure, I cannot wait to see what will happen next. And there is much to look forward to: weekends in NY and LA, a trapeze lesson, holidays in Chicago (one of my favorite times of year here) and of course, more travel adventures (HAWAII!!!)

I continue to learn and make mistakes, that won’t change, but I’m no longer scared of what lies ahead. It’s time to continually embrace me, my life and the positive things within them. And I’m still grateful for those things.

So today I’m celebrating my birthday with a massage, mani/pedi, champagne and sea salt caramels, and dinner with my dad. Then, this weekend will get a little crazy (I hope!)

And I will be back to regular blogging this week! Hope you guys are still out there :)

I do a lot of business online, shopping, paying my bills, buying tickets on Craigslist, paying for things using Paypal, etc. I have been VERY fortunate that in all of my business transactions online, especially when buying tickets from people on Craigslist that the sellers have been legit.

Unfortunately, that streak is broken. Someone I know was recently a victim of online fraud from someone on Craigslist and it makes me really f*cking mad.

We’ve been dealing with this for the last few days and today it was confirmed that it was fraud and the money would not be returned. Now that it’s “resolved,” I just feel mad and violated.

Here’s what I’m mad about:

• That we fell for it, I shop online, I should know better
• That I didn’t read the signs that something was amiss, again, I should have known better
• That there are real a**holes like this person online prying on people
• That they preyed on us
• That I dared to believe that something that was too good to be true actually was
• That I can’t be left alone with my belt and this guy for 10 minutes so I can show him how “sorry” he should be

After working through these emotions, I am clinging to one silver lining: that it wasn’t an exorbitant amount of money. I know this is subjective but instead of thousands of dollars, it’s only a few hundred. In hindsight, it could have been so much worse.

And not to be overdramatic, but it left my “glass half full” mentality about people a little bruised. I’ll move beyond this and hopefully good karma will come by way soon but it was just…disappointing.

So all in all, we will survive and I will have to take my anger out at the gym, but this taught me a very valuable lesson and I’ll definitely be more careful when buying things online.

What about you? Have you ever been a victim of online fraud?