UPDATE: Currently Craving: High Heeled High Tops

The 08/26/12 Currently Craving is the most viewed post on this blog.  So I know that you remember my search for the perfect high top sneakers.  I wanted them to go with leggings, skinnies, and, of course, with all my fabulous skirts that I wear all the time now, since the weather is always beautiful in sunny California.
Well... perfection does exist...  even if you have to search for it for a couple of years...

It was love at first sight, even though I had to wait for a couple of weeks to order them (since I just bought a tooth.  Yes, all the way down to da root!).

By the way, Currently Craving is now on Pinterest.

A Girl's Girl?

A girl's girl is someone who:

1) Is attractive without being threatening or overly sexy. In other words, she escapes the skank factor. This is a big one. Because most women want to better themselves with friends who will propel them into the next category, without constantly worrying if their spouses secretly lust over their gal pals.

2) Her house is just so. Do I even need to explain this one? No.

3) She wants babies, lots of babies. Or at least, she publicly pines over all things motherhood in a way that rivals only her husband's rabid love of SEC football. Because this, apparently, is the fruition of womanhood. And of course one child is never enough. One child forces her to ask the question, "So when are you going to have another one?"

4) She is smiley. In fact, the probability of being a girl's-girl increases with the size of and the frequency by which you flash your pearly whites. Think Julia Roberts toothiness. She played a prostitute in "Pretty Woman" and still audiences perceived her as wholesome as granny's apple pie every time she bared those mega-watt chompers.

5) She does not have a past. Or if she has an unsavory history, it is one that makes her look enduring in a June Carter, Lifetime movie sort of way.

6) She is good with correspondences: think thank you cards, holiday cards, birthday cards, scrapbook pages, etc...

7) She has a well-stocked purse. Need a tissue/nail file/safety pin/tampon/ironing board/tire iron/vintage off-white cameo pin? This girl has it all in her Kate Spade. Eat your heart out Mary Poppins.

8) She is better than all of your friends in at least one hobby. Bonus points if she is a) a militant jogger or triathlete, b) insane coupon-clipper, c) yoga instructor, d) culinary queen, or e) a combination of two of the above.

9) She looks effortless in ridiculous trends. Somehow she manages to be the one person on earth who doesn't look like bloated roadkill while wearing jeggings and faux-fur wrap.

10) Other girls like her, and she likes other girls. The majority of her friends are other women (mostly) like her. Because girl's-girls tend to attract one another.

Source: 

La Literati: A Girl's Girl http://christeenefraser.blogspot.com/2010/11/girls-girl.html

The Real Haute Style

According to the new book I am reading, all fashion is from France.

Plus, apparently "everybody's doin' it" - Fancy Skirt + T-shirt is a trend.

Source:
Lookbook.nu
Who What Wear  whowhatwear.com http://www.whowhatwear.com/fall-fashion-street-style-trend-fancy-skirts-plain-t-shirts-2013

RANDOM TIP: Balance

I know from experience that no matter what I eat, it all ends up in one place - my booty.  Which is why I had to balance the last post with this one.  Enjoy the "9 Butt Exercises For a Super Toned Tush".

Source:
Women's Health www.wh.com http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/best-butt-exercises

Perfect Chocolate Cheese Fluff

I used to bake.  Now, since the weather is always perfect here in the heart of LA city, I stick with cool no-bake desserts.

3/4 cup low fat chocolate milk          

1 cup fat free cottage cheese

1/3 cup sugar free chocolate flavor syrup

1 pkg (4-serving size) chocolate fudge pudding mix

2 cups chocolate whipped topping

Pour milk into blender.  Add cottage cheese and syrup.  Blend until smooth.  Add pudding mix.  Blend again.  (This stage of the preparation will be over faster than you expect.  The mixture gets so thick that it pretty much stops moving.)

Scrap it out into a large bowl.  Stir in whipped topping.  Mix well. 

Spoon into serving glasses.  Garnish, if desired.

Makes 8 servings at 113 calories each without any garnish. 

Make sure to eat this dessert within a day or two – sadly, the fluffiness settles. 

Shopaholic Addiction Statistics

Another CreditDonkey survey yields un-surprising results.  

http://www.creditdonkey.com/shopping-addiction.html

Warning signs of shopaholism include feeling guilt or shame after shopping (which 36.7 percent of respondents have experienced), hiding purchases from their families (20.5 percent), and checking available credit at least once a week (26.7 percent). However, just 4.7 percent of respondents said they have been labeled “shopaholics."

Houston, we have a problem...

A recent study by CreditDonkey found that 41% of Americans have less than $500 in savings. And 76% of us are living paycheck to paycheck. 

Source:
LearnVe$t http://www.learnvest.com/2013/08/youll-never-believe-how-much-i-saved-and-how/
Credit Donkey  www.creditdonkey.com/no-emergency-savings.html

2013 Money Horoscope: Taurus

When people want to make safe and prudent financial policies, they come to you for advice. Your emphasis on preservation and certainty over risk pays off much in the same way that the proverbial tortoise beat the tail off that famous fable hare. The first half of the year will be a continuation of the fabulous feeling--sort of like discovering you have a doting, rich uncle--that’s been around since the prosperous planet Jupiter entered your house of earning and spending last June. 

Even with a handsome cash flow, don't let that feeling of abundance to tempt you into spending more than you should. More than ever, you must fatten your savings to protect you from the potential pain of leaner times. In 2013, things will slow down during February, July and December while the ruler of your financial life, Mercury, moves backward through the sky. But as long as you refrain from excessive indulgences, you can keep your balance sheet in the black.

Source: 

LearnVe$t http://www.learnvest.com/2012/12/the-financial-future-looks-bright-your-2013-money-horoscope/?gallery=609#pid-7135_aint-0

RANDOM QUOTE: Winnie The Pooh

Winnie The Pooh makes me think of my sister.  Maybe that's why everything Pooh always makes me happy.

RANDOM TIP: 25 Easy Tips, Strategies, and Ideas for Small Space Living

1. Install wall-mounted shelves above other furniture, and shelves above doorways.
2. If you don't love it or need it, get rid of it.
3. Remove doors for an open layout. Hang up curtains where needed for privacy.
4. Use the "One In, One Out" strategy.
5. Buy infrequently and with great care. Focus on high-quality and long-lasting pieces, even if you have to save up for them. Make sure they fit your space perfectly.
6. Buy a bed with storage capabilities, either drawers underneath or a one you can jack up or loft.
7. Use a pot rack.
8. Get rid of your microwave. Use the oven or stove top instead.
9. Hang cup hooks of different sizes everywhere. They're inexpensive, don't take up a ton of space, and keep things off the counters and floor.
10. Install vertical storage and built-ins.
11. Bring in natural light as much as possible.
12. Get small appliances and small pots and pans.
13. Go for a fairly neutral color scheme, involving shades of the same color (with a few pops), or...
14. Go for a bold color scheme because it provides some 'wow' and dark colors hide corner shadows. But more than bold or neutral, go for a cohesive colors scheme.
15. If a particular spot seems to attract clutter, devise a shelving or other type storage solution to contain it.
16. Choose upholstered and case goods with legs that give them floor clearance. Air (or negative space) provides the visual illusion of spaciousness.
17. Buy multi-functional furniture, like an ottoman with storage inside the base.
18. Rip your CDs to a secure and reliable hard-drive and sell off your albums.
19. Put anything you don't use daily in a storage container.
20. When you finish a book, immediately post it on Paperbackswap.com to get it out of the house.
21. Play with a room arrangement on paper until you figure out what works best.
22. Use the corners. Don't let the precious space go to waste.
23. If you're a collector, rotate your collections in order to keep visual clutter to a minimum.
24. Add an orchid or fresh flowers seasonally.
25. Use mirrors or any reflective surfaces to give the illusion of added space.

Source: Apartment Therapy www.apartmenttherapy.com/the-best-tips-strategies-and-i-115579