Blink and you miss it!

That's how I'm feeling life has been the past couple of weeks. Every aspect of my life has been so busy; the end of the year is just flying by!!
I wanted to post real quick to let my lovelies know I haven't fallen off the face of the planet...yet.
(Just kidding!)
Work has been absolutely crazy! In November, we doubled our mortgage portfolio and now we are trying to get everything squared away, which means there is overtime available! Overtime=more $$=Ali getting her iPhone faster!
Plus, I've been going crazy trying to get everything ready for Christmas. I finally finished ALL my shopping on Saturday with the help of one of my besties, Blair. The mall was PACKED!! But I managed to get it done and pick up my craft supplies for some of the gifts I'm making (Pintrest tutorials, ftw!). And I am going to be making those projects tonight, along with the jewelry set I'm making for my mom :)
And I've been watching A LOT of Bones on Netflix, so that gets in the way too.
Oh, and there has been personal drama, and I'll try to see what I can do with that in this forum without whining too much ;)
Hopefully, once everything calms down, I'll be able to post with more regularity (if I dont get distracted by David Boreanaz...mmmmmm).

Santa Baby

We all know the song "Santa Baby," done so wonderfully by Marilyn Monroe, Eartha Kitt, Madonna, and Kellie Pickler, just to name a few.

But if you need a refresher: Santa Baby by Kellie Pickler

This list is full of classic items: a sable (fur), a light blue convertible, a yacht, real estate, and of course, what every girl dreams of: Tiffany's!

But what if we were to update it for Christmas 2011? I certainly wouldn't include a fur. 

Here are a few things that I'd be asking Santa baby for

that's right. Christian Loubotin peep toe platforms

a coach bag.

the iPhone 4S...which I will have soon enough :)

the classic Tiffany pendant.

and, the piece de resistance:

Ryan Gosling ;)

(a girl can dream!!)

What would be on your updated Santa Baby wishlist?

Fabulous Holiday Blog Challenge, Day 8: The Christmas List!

Good afternoon, lovelies!! Another day, another little post for the Fabulous Holiday Blog Challenge. Today's (yesterday's) topic is (was): The Christmas List. My favorite!!

I make mine out by November 1st each year and when I was little, I remember making it even earlier, whenever the Sears or Penney's catalog would come. Ashley and I would sprawl out on the living room floor and make our lists. Mine was very organized, of course, and I made sure my mom had an easy time finding the items in the catalog. Back when I was a kid, I asked for everything, no matter how expensive it was, with hopes that it would appear under the tree. If my parents couldn't afford it, Santa Claus surely could. Then I found out the horrible truth and my lists became more realistic.

This year was no different, but I'm happy with the things I put on my list, such as:

what girl doesn't want Robert Pattinson under her tree ;)

some cozy slippers--it gets cold at night in Buffalo and to go along with the slippers, I asked for a new robe.

and

were asked for as well. Hopefully Santa is good to me.

Of course, that is realistic Christmas list. I also have the pipe dream Christmas list but that is another story for another time. Look for Day 9 later tonight!!

Have a great Thursday afternoon, lovelies!

my word!!

Over a week since my last post, what you all must think of me!!

I'm so sorry, lovlies, that I've been M.I.A. Life has certainly been busy!!

We took on a HUGE new portfolio at work that we have all been working together on to make sure it goes smoothly and my family and I are trying to get ready for Christmas, mostly by shopping and my parents do it by visiting my family in Charlotte.

Also, I spent the weekend in Erie, visiting my sister and her boyfriend. And came down with acute pharyngitis (aka a SUPER sore throat and fever).

I'm back, though and I'm going to do better, I swear.

I wanted to participate in a challenge put on by A Complete Waste of Makeup called the "Fabulous Holiday Blog Challenge" and I guess I'm a little behind, but better late than never!!

Today is Day 7: How do you celebrate the holidays?

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. My sister comes home from Charlotte for her Christmas break and we all take a day off of work to have a family day together. Usually we see a movie.

For as many years as I can remember, our family has exchanged gifts through the mail with another family that my parents met when my dad was in the military. A box comes in the mail with a present for everyone in it. It gets carefully placed under the tree until the majority of us can be together. Usually that is Christmas Eve. Once we're all together, we crack em open. Every year. And they are either handmade gifts or cute little tschotkes. It's something I always look forward to.

Some years, being Catholic, we try to find a Midnight Mass to attend and that Gospel is my favorite of the whole year, about how Mary and Joseph had the little baby Jesus in a space shared with barn animals. Then, it's home for some cookies and putting our presents under the tree, followed by  me falling asleep to Elf, or Nightmare Before Christmas, Mickey's Christmas  Carol, or, Home Alone.

We spend the next morning opening our gifts, drinking coffee, and Skyping with my brother, sister-in-law, and niece down in Charlotte. And watching A Christmas Story, of course!

The rest of the day is pretty low-key. When I was younger, Christmas was always really busy. Christmas Eve we would go to church and then to my Grandma Cescon's.

Christmas day we open our presents and stockings, then we would put on some of our new threads and go to Grandma Lovelace's with all my uncles and aunts and cousins.

Even though some of the traditions are different, I still love Christmas and all that comes with it!

How do you guys celebrate the holidays?

T-shirt Scarf Tutorial

Happy Sunday, lovelies!! I've had a relaxing weekend and I'm ready to dive into Monday through Friday.

I'm a big fan of Pintrest, a website where you have "bulletin boards" and you can post almost anything from the web to your boards. I am addicted and I've gotten my sister addicted as well. My boards run the gamut from boys to food to crafts to home decor. During my Pintrest travels I found a way to turn an old t-shirt into a scarf and I wanted to do a tutorial. My first tutorial!! I hope you like it!

To start, all you'll need is an old t-shirt--prints or patterns if you're feeling bold or a solid color for a more classic feel--and a pair of scissors.

I chose my 80's party standby for a band I love.

and rock it out!! I had to take a picture of the finished project with just a liiiittle bit of attittude thrown in.

(I made those earrings too!)

It's really simple to do and if you're getting rid of a lot of t-shirts, just think of all the scarves you can make :)

That's it from me tonight...it's time to hang out with mom and catch Once Upon a Time and catch up on the DVR.

Wordless Wednesday

!!!!!!

:D

Tasty Tuesday!

Hello, lovelies!!

I have a lot to do at work today, so I just wanna give you guys a quick lil post and with Thanksgiving on Thursday, I thought it would be fun to participate in Tasty Tuesday through For the Love of Blogs and pass. The recipe that I am going to share with you is for a pie that my older sister, Aimee, made every Thanksgiving when she was still living at home. It's one of my favorites.

PUMPKIN CRUNCH CREAM PIE  

3/4 c. cold milk

1 (4 serving size) pkg. Jello vanilla flavor instant pudding and pie filling

1/2 c. solid-pack pumpkin

3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2/3 c. slivered almonds

2/3 c. Bakers real semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 1/2 c. Cool Whip non-dairy whipped topping, thawed

1 (6 oz.) Keebler Ready crust brand graham cracker pie crust

Pour milk into mixing bowl. Add pie filling mix. Beat with wire whisk until well blended, 1 minute. Let stand 5 minutes. Blend in pumpkin, spice, almonds, chocolate chips and 2 cups of the whipped topping. Spoon into pie crust. Chill 4 hours. Just before serving, garnish with remaining whipped topping and chocolate curls, if desired.

Enjoy, loves!



what a weekend!!

the subject line says it all!

I love weekends where I have plans with my friends, and plans with myself =)

Friday

TGIF!

Work as usual but there was plenty to look forward to! Work was plenty busy, as well.

After work was:

Plus dinner with bff Jen and assorted other friends that I've known forever and they are like family to me. I added a little Forever 21 into that also.

Saturday

Saturday was beautiful here in Western New York. Very uncommon weather for November. Usually the snow is flying by now but I'm definitely not complaining!!

Spent some time with my mom, went for a walk through the park, and ran some errands, including some Christmas shopping. I love Christmas because I love seeing  the faces of my friends and family when they open their gift and they love it.  I found a book for my dad all about Buffalo sports. If you didn't know, we are a sports town! 

I also picked up...

The final Harry Potter *tear*

My collection is finally complete.

I spent the night watching that and Bones, which is my new favorite show.

Sunday

Today was a great end to the weekend. I went to church and breakfast with my parents.

Today was also date day with Blair, whom I love to death.

She and I went to go see our boyfriend, Ryan Gosling, in:

It was so good. Car chases, violence, but also a very subtle and understated love story. Carey Mulligan was great in it as well. We went to the cheap theater where you can get your movie ticket, small popcorn, and a small drink fo $6.00. Amazing. We did Panera and Target too.

Now it's just relaxing with my mom and preparing for a four-day work week!

Hope you all had a great weekend!!

Five Things Thursday

One of my new favorite blogs is Five days...Five Ways. Abbie's blog is great!! Sometimes I need a little push to post and having a different prompt from her blog 5 days a week gives me that push!!

Today, the theme for Five Things Thursday is "Thankfulness" and it couldn't be more appropriate with Thanksgiving fast approaching!!

I have been so into this new job that I havent really thought about the 5 things I'm thankful for, right now so I'm glad this is the theme. And here's my list :)

I'm thankful for:

1) This new job! It has been such a blessing to be happy to go to work everyday, even if it means getting up at 6am!! I was so unhappy at my last job; I just didn't care. I'm glad I got out and have started a new chapter.

2) My family. They are such an amazing support system, albeit, a little dysfunctional and silly. I mean, what family doesn't have their idiosyncrasies?

3) I'm thankful for the funny ways life works out. In particular, Jackie has been home 3 times in the last 3 months to take care of certain things and I am so grateful for having been able to spend that time with her. And I am going to see Breaking Dawn, Part One tomorrow night with Jen!

4) Harry Potter. This may be silly to be thankful for Harry Potter, but I really am. I'm thankful that I can turn to Harry Potter when I'm upset, bored, or just can't sleep. The movies always help take my mind off things or help me pass out.

5) Finally, I'm thankful for my cats. Their numbers have decreased over the past two months with the passing of Gemma and Busta in September, but that just makes me cherish them even more. Plus, it's getting colder out and they make GREAT cuddlers!!

If you want to join in the Thursday thrills, just click the button for "Five Things Thursday" on the right side of my page :)

reason #2356484 why I love my job...

Free pizza and wings, two weeks in a row!!

happiness.

Chelsea, over at Choose to be Happy, posted about being happy and she said,

"happiness is a choice. and sometimes, especially in those sad moments, you have to chose it."

Girl, I completely agree. It's hard to not give in to those moments when you just want to wallow in your own misery by yourself or accompanied by Ben and Jerry. And believe me, for a long, long time, I was the girl curling up in her own misery. But recently, I've had this great epiphany that the only person that can make you happy is you.

Yes, you, reading this blog.

You want to be happy? Get out there and make yourself happy!!

Lately, when I get down, I try to think of things that put a smile on my face. And I've been down more than once over the past couple of months. I had to put my cat down and he was more than just a cat to me. He was like my child. I got passed over for a promotion, as I told you about here. Over the summer, my sister (and best friend) moved to Erie with her boyfriend. And, as always, there is boy trouble. But this is not a post about unhappiness. It's about being happy. So, let's be happy!! There are things that I can always rely on to put a smile on my face when I'm bummed boy, do I need those pick-me-ups sometimes. Some are people. Some are things.
In no particular order, here are a few:
my sister, Ashley. Whether it's Skype, email, text message or a visit, she never fails to put a smile on my face.
Looking out the window at work and seeing Buffalo Central Terminal and the Polish churches that surround it on the horizon
spending time with my mom
Line Dancing
text messages from my best friend, Jackie
even better? Seeing my best friend Jackie.
my best guy friend, Tim. When we're together, we never stop laughing.
my mom's cooking
family time in the living room when it's snowing and the snowplows go by.
when my sister, Aimee, comes into town for Christmas and for a summer visit
road trips
NYC
memories of my time spent in Paris.
the 13 years I got to spend with my cat before he had to be put down.


What makes you happy?

until next time!

xo, ali



Friday

Hi lovelies!

Today was great. 

The gloom has cleared =)

(Thanks to my two best friends and some country music)

Today was my first official bank holiday. I've been employed with the bank for two weeks and already I had a day off.

My sister, Ashley, and my best friend, Jackie (the aforementioned best friends) are in from out of town.

Every Thursday, when they lived here, we went line dancing. 

We went last night, and it was a blast.

Today, I got to sleep in a whole two extra hours. Woo hoo!!

And errand running with my sister followed by crafting and getting ready for the craft show tomorrow with Ashley and Jackie.

And watching Crazy Stupid Love, in which Ryan Gosling is perfect, Emma Stone is gorgeous, and Steve Carrell is hilarious.

All in all, a good day. I hope tomorrow will be just as great!!
And I hope you all have a great tomorrow, too.

Just keep following the heartlines on your hand...

It's kind of a gloomy day here in Buffalo. And some things have happened that have put me in a gloomy mood but I'm trying to not let it overcome me.
I'm trying to listen to songs/albums/artists that make me dance in my chair and I'm reading a ton of blogs from girls who are just bursting with happiness and it makes me want to emulate them and still be myself. (Does that make sense?)
We're almost entering the dead zone so I am going to raid my photobucket and the internet for what I am thinking of to keep me happy today. Ready??





Hello Kitty 

leetle baby bulldogs in pink glasses :3

(are you getting a theme here?)

my beautiful desktop background

I think all that would put a smile on even the grouchiest person's face because everything has it's own beauty about it.

"Hey, Ali."-blog readers

"Yeah, lovelies??"-me

"What music have you been listening to??"

Great question! My playlist the past couple of days has been pretty awesome and pretty non-cohesive. Let's take a look...

Radiosurgery by New Found Glory (they will always be one of my favorite bands)

Hot Mess by Cobra Starship

Night Shades by Cobra Starship

Ceremonies by Florence + the Machine

and

In Some Way, Shape or Form by Four Year Strong

See what I mean? None of that makes sense to anyone but me.

until next time!

xo, ali

4-5 PM Monday-Friday

The Dead Zone.
That time at the end of the day when you have an hour to go and you are watching the clock count down til you can go home.

This is the time my brain always wanders and thinks that looking up pictures of classic album covers featuring kittens rather than the band members is a good idea.
(Go to thekittencovers.tumblr.com to see what I mean.)
This is also the time of day when I start to see what amazing blogs are out there, full of beautiful, talented, hilarious, strong women. I found some amazing ones, today, that I am so looking forward to following!! One is an old school classmate of mine--Lindsay over at Little Mudpies--and her crafts are fabulous! There are a few I'm itching to try. I also found Ma Nouvelle Mode, which is great for every type of idea from hair to crafts (and other blogs). And Awesomely Awkward who is just adorable. Those are only a few of the lovely ladies I've started following.
I don't have any followers yet, but hopefully that will change. I have a lot of ideas, a lot of opinions, and a lot of fears that I know I'm not alone in having and I hope that my blog attracts other people that may have the same fears, thoughts, and opinions.
I'm also getting started in the wonderful world of DIY, which started about a year ago when I decided that I did not want to spend $13 on a peacock feather headband. So, I am getting A LOT of ideas from many wonderful blogs for pretty things to create and wear. I plan to add some of these things to my jewelry line, Bella Diamante (pop over to facebook and be a fan).

I hope that you will enjoy reading and following me as I face life, head-on and in true Taurus fashion, taking the bull by the horns.

"How did you end up in banking?"

That's what my mom asked me last night.

And, honestly? I have no idea.
I just started a job for a rather large regional bank in WNY (Western New York) in what they call the "back office" relating to mortgages. How I ended up here? I think (and I believe in this stuff) it is my "destiny" (for lack of a better term). However, I love it.
I started out working part-time (very part-time) for Regal Cinemas. It was okay. The pay sucked but I got as many free movies as I wanted and an unlimited supply of movie posters. I wanted something more.

Let me confess something. I'm 27 and....wait for it....I still live at home. I know, I know. It's a little embarassing given that most of my classmates are married with a kid or two and we are coming up to our 10-year reunion, but there it is. I live at home. Most nights, you can find me in the living room with my mom and dad answering Jeopardy! questions.

The more that I wanted was a better car than the '97 tank I was driving and also using to see how many deer I could hit on back roads. The more was my own apartment. And freedom.

So, my sister had an awesome job doing mortgage customer service for a well-known, nationwide mortgage company. I had nothing to lose and applied, thus starting my career in banking. I was thrown everything there was to catch relating to mortgages, taxes, and insurance and soaked it up like a sponge. A year later, they trusted me to train new hires and throw the same information at them and gave me a super-cool title of Backup Trainer.
A year later, the site manager asked me to apply for the open supervisor position, which I did. Turns out, he asked someone else to apply for the position also. When it came down to it, they were given the position and I was turned down for some nonsense reason. I'd had enough being that department's whipping girl. I filled out a handful of applications for my current financial institution and someone finally saw my strengths.

Now, I work in banking. I get to wake up at 6am every day. Drive from Akron, NY all the way to University at Buffalo-South Campus and take a metro train with other bleary-eyed commuters to beautiful downtown Buffalo. I have a great view and it's been a week and I already love my job. Free pizza. A great cafeteria. A free preview performance of the musical Million Dollar Quartet in our lobby, and already great people to work with. I just need my cubicle and I'm set.

Hi, I'm Ali, and I work in banking.


P.S.--I no longer drive the tank, but I am now a "stupid, shiny Volvo owner." (cookies if you get the reference.)

First post

I spend a lot of time thinking about things i should not, people i should not care about, and things that should no longer matter to me. But they still do. I hold onto everything, for whatever reason. I'm sappy and sentimental and when i love people i give them my whole heart. I sometimes spend a few minutes wondering what it would be like if I had never introduced two of my best friends to each other. Would i have finally made him see how much i loved him? would we be together? would something have finally happened to separate she and i? he and i? I wont know. and honestly, i dont know how to not think about it. Especially since she got the guy that I knew was perfect for me. 2 years and this still bothers me.


That's been on my mind lately...go days, weeks, months without thinking about it and it hits me. I got it out of my system.
i'm giving this blog thing a shot. i want it to reflect who i think i am--a quasi-hipster, doing my thing, and including my "reflections" on life and what i see everyday. Sometimes, it may be snarky or sensitive and hopefully, all the time, entertaining.