Ohgabetta

I took a breaky for a bit from ohgabetta. I was getting a little over zealous for a minute and truth be told I burnt out. I admit, school, work and day to day events have me going at warp speed these days. I let this little space o' mine fall behind me. I know it's life and it happens and it's not the end of the world but to me it is. I really want to stick with blogging as a steady thing. I need this. I am doing what I want to do, which is living my life and being able to capture so many happy thoughts an ideas to place down on virtual paper. I like talking in this space and adding pictures the way I see them. Talk about serenity freaking now. I needed to breathe and reboot (wise words from the fab CB from SATC, BTW) and honestly the few days I've had off from work extra were much needed. Yes. They. Ar--I mean Were. As in, time to go back to reality and alarm clocks. Es la vida, no? It helps that I got my paws on some new (on sale-yesss) stationary. ...

A healthy little lunch for a few days of work makes me smile. Being able to prepare ahead of time for multiple uses and I've got a super cheesy grin of happiness on display. I thought about this meal as a result of making a grocery list with itemized columns of Have (as in at home already) and Need. I also drafted a menu for our week. I've started doing this more and since we pretty much go to Publix often enough to keep the lights on in that joint, I'm a good budget-her ahead of time. Neurotic? Possibly. Ingredients Orange pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus garbanzo beans, over baked chicken tenders, Italian olive oil, Zesty Italian salad dressing/marinade, your basic every day condiments of choice (S & P, Garlic Powder, etc) I cut up all the veggies mentioned above first. This is done for both the meal I'm talking about here and for the week for convenience. Make my day to day easy breezier? Absofreakinglutely. Meanwhile, I brush Le ch...

So, okay. I have never been an athlete. As in, I have never played a single sport officially. I have participated in group sports like kickball or tennis more than anything I’d say and even that has been sporadic. I do walk often and have always enjoyed a good power pace. Hunter on the other hand is an athlete. Since literally walking age he has played sports actively and kept his interest strong. I appreciate this about him because he is dedicated to so many other things in his life with that same gusto and passion. Every single day I see the methodical way he does things, super different from me who is impulsive and often hasty. Yin. Yang people. It does work. Anyhow, we were having a lazy moment recently watching a soccer game on replay, something with Manchester United-bub love’s favorite team- and he was telling me about the players when I’d ask and he humored my investigative nature self asking him all about past athletic experiences. “I have to admit, it turned me o...

(See here to hear pronunciation of the 3rd title word. It's cool, everyone's doing it.) I recently became aware that my grad school has been the recipient of an NMC, which is really cool and you can learn more here . I keep referring back to it in my mind and the pride I feel is deep. I am more than ever at peace with my decision to pursue graduate school. Having just passed my 3yr graduation from undergrad this month, it feels good to be working on what I am. I need to be here. I want to be here. I am evolving. Yesssss. It is only ¼ of a way through and while I have mostly positive feelings, I have had apprehension. There has also been anxiety, stress, longing for days when I did not have homework every.single.day. But aside from what I can assume is “normal,” I am eager to start my assignments each week, happy to review the various resources available, and I’m thriving for the challenge each publication I craft brings. Hearing of this award, the NMC, I am pro...

I do not eat meat all that much but every once in a while I do appreciate a good Philly or a cheeseburger that my Hunty grills. One night this week, the Philly hankering kicked in. So I jumped at the chance to make my house smell of amazing food. Green peps and red onions simmering in a saute pan, 1 cap size amount of Italian olive oil and 1 of Zesty Italian salad dressing. This night I added some cherry tomatoes sliced in half in. This goes on medium-low heat for roughly 10 minutes: Add meat. I take a few slices together and cut into strips, then into pieces. Cook until your desired shade of cooked. Yes, cooked meaning gauge how well done you prefer your meat. I wish the smell would radiate right off this page. It is unbelievable the wonderful flavor and scent this medley makes: Grab bread you'll be using or make a salad. Romaine lettuce is delicious for this purpose. If you have Parmesan cheese in house sprinkle a pinch or two over the lettuce. Tonight we...

Cornbread, any pick of brand, make, or model you like, bake as instructed from package: Wave honey bottle over top, drizzle as you prefer. Sorry, no definitive answers for this one. It really is preference. Sprinkle Cajun seasoning with the same personal preference meter. next step is to sample your work. Go 'head: I like to divvy up and make easy-to-grab bags for packing lunches the next morning. Simple things like this make my heart happy. My FT work and school schedule appreciates this easy extra: Nothing too fancy just like to mix it up. Variety is the spice of life, Meggie

Love this little peplum I came upon: Dress up: Work time: I love this top! It was on sale too so it's especially fabulous. I am working on a fashion article this week for school so I am inspiring myself in my own closet right now. Fashion writing is one of my faves. I've done some professional coverage with it with both Orlando Style and BRINK and I want more. It is a happy place. Writing and fashion is passion on top of passion. Bring.it.to.me! "A girl should always be two things: classy & fabulous." -Coco Chanel Meggie

Weekend Delights: We headed to Oviedo on Saturday. I was going to interview someone for an article I had due so we took the opp to also indulge in some uhmazing breakfast at the Town House . Um, yea. Best choice we've made I might say. You can be the judge though: These mugs remind me of my poppa and his restaurant and his straight black coffee he would constantly reheat. This makes me happy and my heart is full. Just makes me feel like it's Saturday: For the most fabulous plate of scrum-cious-ness, please just take a gander at these dishes of heaven: We also met an old friend who was just hanging around. Good to see the ol'bird. Aside from homework ans research for said homework, I participated in some R&R in the form of this: Anddd maybe I did awake at 1am, turn on the TV, catch the last half of She's All That then jumped right into Step Up. I'm jealous of my own self right now and want to do it again actually. I also received...

A midweek fave color connection:

What's floral and patterned and completely fabulous? Me! Love these pieces each so much, one day I says to myself, "self, you should do this. You see the possibility, bring it to life." "Noooo." "Yes." "Okay." Dress up really is best as a big kid. Meggie

Pasta is a won.der.ful thing, my friends. Veggies are pretty fab too. I marry the two all the time. It's simple, yet has enough room to pep it up from the add in's. I do keep a mindful approach to my pasta amount per serving so I like to have the pasta be the supporting star while the veggies are the star. I boil the pasta & veggies together. Say what? Yep, the pasta I get is the one in the fridge section, when it's on BOGO obvi, and it cooks up in about 7 minutes and 30 seconds. Perfectly enough, so do broccoli and asparagus. Goes together like this: Ends up like this: Wah-la. Meanwhile, I have some olive oil, butter, Parmesan cheese and chopped garlic simmering together. I add tomatoes right to it. Simmer on low for roughly 10 minutes. Something about this combo simply blends deliciously. Given the name of this dish, the first part pretty much developed from the straight forward list of ingredients and the ala is ode to my momma. Knizzy, ...

Ahhh, my one day weekend is gone. I am on to the work week again and have a new course starting in school. I am feeling a bit exhausted and my to-do list is on point, meaning I need to be on point to get things done. One item I can knock off is to download one of the Lauren Conrad site's screen savers, which are created by the lovely Carrie Beth Taylor . I am super excited actually. I chose the pink tulips. It helps to beautify my space. Taking classes online and writing so much I am constantly "in my office," aka on my computer. I appreciate these beautiful illustrations being available and imagine these must be on every computer in the Lauren Conrad headquarters. Sounds like an absolutely inspiring and fabulous atmosphere. Now to move flowers around the house and into my creative nook/work space and I will be LC approved! I finished my homework yesterday, about 12 hours earlier than my usual posting time frame. It felt good to wrap up the last two classes....

Oh, man. Chris Kelly died? From Kris Kross?? Seriously, I am a broken-hearted 10 year old right now; one who is back in time hopping and crossing my legs, while yelling at our TV "Krisss Krossss!" Super sad about this. What an impact these guys were able to make. This got me thinking about TGIF. Remember on Friday nights? No idea? Here's a quick recap from MrRetroCommercials via youtube.com . Family Matters, Step By Step, Boy Meets World, Full House, Dinosaurs, and my personal favorites, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Hangin with Mr. Cooper, all contributed in some way to who I am today. I share this proudly. We did pizza in our house. Amen! It sure was TGIF, amiright? Pizza Hut pan, cheese of course. It's funny too because some coworkers and I were just talking about this. A bunch of us shared the same sentiments. We appreciated this night so much. It has me thinking now about the original ideas that went into TV. The world it was back then, wa...

Madison Ave-hue for pink & Turquoise and Caicos for the other. Loving polka dots. ALOT. I painted first, let dry, and then used the flat end of a bbq skewer stick thing to gently dollop with. I like it more as it settles too. At first I thought ehh, and had to redo the layout of which nail got which look. That's the fun of accessorizing in any capacity. If at first you don't succeed, then paint, paint again. Pleased indeed, mkh

Mid week styling fun. Definitely needed. I like how the super deep blue offsets the especially bright yellow. This green, skinny belt is my favorite spring purchase. I'm pretty sure I've rocked it 3/5 days in a work week- or two- already. My mama is partial to bangles; I am partial to bangles. Stack 'em up. The blue/green shoes are fun. My fave tan, Nine West wedges are also an option.