What I’m Loving Wednesday 1.9.12

1. I need really want this necklace from Tiffany & Co.

I also want this bracelet. It’s only $8,250.

I supposed I could settle for this much more affordable Etsy option.

2. After a long run a couple weeks ago, Amanda and I refueled with two of the best sandwiches at Purée: The Deep South Sandwich, which is very similar to a Chick-fil-A sandwich, but made with seitan,

and a Blackened Jalapeno Burger, made with tempeh.

If you’re thinking about bringing a man friend to Purée, convince him to try one of these and he’ll forget he’s not eating meat.

3. Yesterday I was using too many abbrevs (abbreviations) and my coworker said I sounded like Tom Haverford. I took that as a compliment.

4. Years ago, I loved these Grapples.

Now they have Crazy Apples . Have you tried either?

5. I took more than advantage of Old Navy’s sale on active wear. I bought a couple pairs of these compression pants that suck all your fat in:

a Go Dry tee:

this obnoxious tank that I will either love or hate in person:

and three compression jackets. Whoops?

Amanda and I both have the pink jacket and will be crossing the half marathon finish line wearing them. Nerd alert.

6. And why do I work out so much?

HOW I FEEL WATCHING THE VICTORIA’S SECRET FASHION SHOW

True or false? The Goonies was your favorite movie from the 80s.

New Year’s Eve Outfit, Makeup, and Hair

I have a confession. I am not a huge fan of shopping, hate putting outfits together, and swear I don’t know how to match. For an event, I usually find a dress I love then beg Kaye and Amanda for outfit inspiration. That said, I’m pretty excited to have my New Year’s Eve outfit already planned, 20 days ahead of time. Who am I? The older I get, I swear, the more and more of a (gasp!) girly girl I become.

I forgot to tell you what happened with all those NYE dresses I ordered. Three of the four were from ASOS.com, a European site. When I ordered them, my credit card had a seizure and my bank immediately called me about fraudulent charges. Even though I approved the charge with them, it didn’t go through. By the time I could reorder, two of the dresses were gone in my size. Praise Jesus, I had already ordered the one shown below. It arrived yesterday and fits perfectly. I’ve had some good karma lately.

 

New Year's Eve 2013 by christinaorso featuring steve madden shoes

Back to the outfit. Do you think that is too much gold? It is NYE after all, and I do love to sparkle. I will keep my earrings and ring very simple and definitely wear a very delicate necklace.

Makeup is easy. I’ll just throw all this on my face:

 

MAC & MUA Makeup by christinaorso featuring mac cosmetics

The next issue is my hair. Do I ever do anything different with my hair? Nope. The beauty of having an angled bob is that it doesn’t need much styling, but it is at a length where I can change it up. Here are some ideas I’m pondering:

That was exhausting. How do you ladies plan weddings?

And because I know you’re dying to ask, yes, my date is planned too. He’s a cutie, can you guess who? ;)

Are you ready for NYE? What are you wearing/doing?

What I’m Loving Wednesday 12.5.12

1. Danielle and I eat lunch together every Monday. For the past month, we’ve gone to Mi Xao each week, at least once. This week, we went back for our favorite items on the menu. Mine is the Tom Yum Kung, extra spicy.

See the coconut shrimp? The owner was being nice and brought us some samples. Naturally, I threw one back and then bam! It hit me. They were fried and I just got a damn strike for The NYE Challenge.

Boding said it counts. I say it doesn’t because it wasn’t a conscious decision. Ugh!! I immediately confessed when I got home, so he then asked Kaye how she was doing.

Pizza. Really, Kaye?!? That evening, Carter admitted to eating chips and I had to explain to Boding that chips are fried. Hahahah. WE SUCK!

2. To me, this is heaven.

(The cookbook section of The Coastal Cupboard)

3. Rachel found a tutorial on how to make monogram Iphone wallpapers here. Pretty, pretty.

4. I finally got my hair colored last Friday. It’s my natural color in the back, with gold lowlights…

…then gold & blonde in the front.

Don’t ask me how I am standing in that picture, or how the tree didn’t get knocked over. Christmas miracles!

5. Low-key arm parties. This is one of my bracelets from Peppermint Lollipops.

6. On Saturday, I went to a food truck rodeo at Whole Foods. Of course I had Roti Rolls.

Here’s the Funky Farmer: curried local butternut squash, carrots, red potatoes, and totsoi, pickled local beets, and an egg.

The Roti Roll kids are opening a restaurant downtown called The Green Door. It’ll focus on local goodies and have a similar concept to Roti Rolls. We’re going to the Friends & Family Dinner on Thursday and I’m so excited! I will tell you all about it. : )

Peppermint Lollipops Jewelry Giveaway

Do y’all remember when I posted about the anchor bracelet I bought from Groopdealz? Knowing they weren’t available, I linked you to  an Etsy site that had similar bracelets. Unbeknownst to me, Etsy sellers are able to see where traffic comes from. To make a long story short, Jenny from the Peppermint Lollipops shop contacted me about doing a review and giveaway. Yipee!

I browsed her adorably named shop and found very pretty jewelry. She offered to send me three items: one for me to keep and two to give away to my readers. I’ve coveted the J. Crew style link bracelet, so this lookalike immediately caught my eye.

Gold Faux Pave Link Textured Chain Bracelet

My second favorite item was the Amber & Gold Chain Link Bracelet. You could wear this with anything!

For a pop of color, check out this Dark Pink & Gold Chain Link Bracelet

The same bracelet is available in several colors. How cute is the navy?

There are a few styles of anchor bracelets that are just adorable.

 

 

 

 

 

I know you’re drooling over this Large Chunky Gold Faux Pave Link Bracelet.

And these Tortoise and Amber Chunky Link Bracelets.

Want a matching necklace? Jenny sells those too! Here’s the Double Chain Necklace.

Be sure to check out her shop, Peppermint Lollipops, for more!

The Giveaway!

Two of you will win a bracelet! You can choose from either the Amber & Gold Chain Link Bracelet or the Dark Pink Chain Link Bracelet, both shown above.

To enter:

• Mandatory: Please leave a comment telling me which bracelet you’d like. (either the Amber or Dark Pink Chain Link bracelet)
• Bonus Entry 1: Tweet about this giveaway and tag @christinaorso.
• Bonus Entry 2: Blog about this giveaway and link back to me.

Giveaway ends Sunday, December 2 at noon.

The Friday Five 11.23.12

1. What I’m Watching: We all know I have terrible taste in television. The only time I watch something worth mentioning is if a boy sits me down to watch a show. Last week I saw the pilot episode of Homeland.

Let’s just say that Claire Danes’ character is a wreck and makes me feel like a normal human being. I’ll probably only watch this show again if said boy puts it on in my presence. 

2. What I’m Eating: Tis the season for gluttony. Who wore leggings to Thanksgiving dinner? This girl. Last weekend, my grandmother introduced me to Talenti Sea Salt Caramel gelato.

This stuff is ridiculously sweet to the point where you’ll be satisfied with just one serving. The chocolate caramel candies inside are deeeeelicious. I’d just pick those out if I bought a pint. 

3. Recipes I’m Bookmarking: Peppermint Sugar Cookies. So festive! 

4. What I’m Listening to: WHY WHY WHY did I not go see Passion Pit when they came to Charleston? Seriously regretting that. Their song “Where I Come From” is on the Breaking Dawn 2 soundtrack and I’ve probably played it 400 times in the past week.

Regardless of whether or not you are a Twihard, all of the soundtracks are full of great music. I promise!

5. GIFs I’m Loving: Cheers to you, Boding!

WHEN I WANT MY ROOMMATE TO DO SOMETHING WITH ME

WHEN MY ROMMATE GETS HOME AND I’M EXCITED BECAUSE I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL HIM

WHEN MY ROOMMATE AND I ARE THE BEST DRUNK CHEFS

***

Next week I’m hosting a jewelry giveaway with the etsy shop Peppermint Lollipops. In the meantime, Jenny has offered a discount code for my readers to enjoy! From now until Sunday Nov. 25th, use coupon code BLACKFRIDAY30 to receive 30% off all items in her shop. Here’s a little preview:

Have a great weekend!

Please don’t get trampled by Black Friday shoppers!

What I’m Loving Wednesday 10.31.12

1. Last night I instagrammed/tweeted a picture of the Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili I had made for dinner.

One of my readers who I met this Spring tweeted that it looked so amazing. I was pretty sure she lived in the same complex as me, so I told her to come on over. Shortly after, I sent her back home with chili, Sriracha, and a few pieces of chocolate. She had never tried Sriracha before and I knew I had to convert her. The chocolate was given for obvious reasons: always eat something sweet after a spicy meal. It’s a rule.

I LOVE MY READERS. You guys are the best.

2. Last Friday when Danielle and I were out, we ran into our friend Will who is just as much of a beet lover as I am. Danielle suggested that we just get married and demanded that Will get on his knees.

Obviously this was a joke, but I’m humored that a) he’s holding his own arm up, b) he’s holding my wrong hand, c) he looks like a Twilight vampire, and c)we are in front of a gay bar. But by far, the funniest part of this whole situation was people’s reactions.

People take stuff on Facebook so seriously! No one in my family called me -- they’ve either abandoned me or know quite well how peculiar my behavior is.

3. After I ate on Saturday, I boxed up my leftovers before I went out for the night. I left myself a love note.

No, it did not work….for me or Danielle.

4. Last week  Groopdealz had a sale for these chunky anchor bracelets for only $7.99. I bought the blue and it’s just as pretty in person.

I found some similar bracelets on Etsy here and here.

5. This is pretty darn accurate. 

6. I was one happy child on this day in 1987.

25 years and 92875298729687 cavities later, I want to wish you a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!