The Big D(bag)

Because Blogger is being a big douchey douchebag, I'm afeared to write too much, lest I lose everything. Instead, I'll sit here in the office, lights off save the glow from the Christmas tree, listening to Clinton Kelly and Stacy London talk to this week's unfortunate victim and praising the HEBBINS that they are back.

Seriously, you two crazy kids - where in da HAIL have you been for the past month or so? And what am I supposed to watch after Biggest Loser every Tuesday? Hmmmm - have you thought of THAT?!

Has anyone been watching Clinton's new show, The Chew? I have several episodes stacked up on the DVR, but have yet to watch.

DOH - I forgot to mention, on a completely DIFFERENT note - this weekend is Girls' Weekend in The Lou Part Twoooo, to see Amy Bo Bamy, sadly, minus my friend Natty Lite. Also sad is the fact that Amy Bo Bamy, whom you may recall started MerciBlahBlah with me, is moving across the country to Boston in a few weeks. Jerk. Amy Bo Bamy, of the Other Side of Shannan's Brain, but without the talent for farting. Sads on SO many levels.

But wait - that's not ENOUGH sadness for you? Then go to Natty's blog and read about her recent birthday pressie to herself - a week at a yoga retreat. In the Bahamas. Apparently it's not only her hair that is better than yours, it's also her vacations.

Okay, Blogger is REALLY douching around now, so I'm audi before I lose it. And then LOSE IT.

Dress: 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent
Belt: Thrifted
Boots: Old Navy
Necklace: Garage Sale
Bracelets: Target, Old Navy
Earrings: Gift


Merci!
Shan

I'm So Excited

Let's talk turkey. Okay, maybe not turkey, because I'm about sick to death of turkey. Let's talk Christmas. Imma just say this - I'm EXCITED for Christmas, because this year I feel like I can actually decorate for it without having trees torn limb from limb. I'm excited because my kids are excited for it this year. I'm excited despite having told The Hubs that my gift to him this year is that we don't have to exchange gifts this year (I know, it was a moment of temporary insanity that I still regret from time to time, and yes, I am STILL keeping a wish list on TheThingsIWant). Sue me.

I'm so excited that the Pointer Sisters just called me up to tell me to simmah down now.

I'm so excited that, as anal as I am about my trees, I actually waited UNTIL THE KIDS LEFT THE ROOM to move the ornaments that they placed all on one branch so they were more evenly distributed on the tree.

I'm so excited I'm pretty sure I have this expression on my face:

I'm so excited I put up not one, but TWO trees.

 

 (Isn't the peg-board barricade lovely?)

I'm so excited I can't stand it. Even more exciting? That one of my favey crockett Christmas songs came on my Jango station today at work. I giggled out loud when it came on.

Then I googled the video to share it. This video is awesome for several reasons: it is so obviously lip-synced, the lead singer's Bonnie-Tyler-wannabe hurrdo, the Lionel Richie lookalike dancing on stage near the end, it's frigging 1983...do I need to continue???? Okay, let's continue. The cotton candy blond that could be the twin of Stephanie Vanderkellen on Newhart, dancing horrifically with Lionel Richie:

I think I've made my point. Let's get to it and just enjoy the mooo-sic, shall we?

Merry Christmas Everybody.

Vest: Rachel Zoe for QVC

Leather jacket: Newport News

Chambray Shirt: JCPenny

Jeans: Old Navy

Shoes: J Simpson

Necklaces: Thrifted, F21

Earrings: F21

Merci!
Shan

Cinnamon Girl

I know, I know, my outfit looks nothing like cinnamon, but I just have to say that I LOVES me some cinnamon. Funny thing, last summer when my brother and sister in law visited from Ireland, she was telling me about some book she read that described different countries and their perceptions, and the one of the US was that we love our cinnamon. And The Hubs, being from Ireland, is always, "don't put cinnamon in it!!" if I'm making a pie. But I don't listen, and I put it in there anyway, and just don't tell him, and he's all, "This is GOOOOOD." HMMMMPFH.

And this weekend I was getting a latte at Starbucks, and the guy next to me was putting his cream and sugar in, and he added cinnamon, and it just smelled SOOOOO. GOOOOOD. that I had to add some to mine. And this MORNING I'm sitting here sipping my coffee with a lil half and half and cinnamon in it. Perceptions be damned, I LOVE my cinnamon.

This weekend - actually on Black Friday - I can't believe I ventured out at 6 p.m. that evening to Target and Bath & Body Works to pick up a few things (not gifts - unbelievably, I am almost finished with my Christmas shopping). Just some schtuff we needed. So I picked up some Vanilla Cinnamon Body Wash and Lotion at Bath & Body:

and um, YUM. Smells divoone. I am not a straight up vanilla girl - it's too sweet, but I love it mixed with other scents, and the warm cinnamon in this is lovely. I used both the wash and lotion, and then put on Un Crime Exotique, by Parfumerie Generale, a sample I got at Luckyscent. If you have not been to Luckyscent, and you're a perfume whoooore like me, GET THEE HENCE.

You can find all kinds of hard-to-find, obscure fragrances at Luckyscent, and the great thing is that you can also order samples of almost any perfume, so you have a chance to try before you buy (which I HAVE to do with perfume). I have loved both Un Crime Exotique, which is spicy, cinnamon, vanilla, star anise yummyness, and Ginestet's Botrytis, which according to the site is a warm blend of honey, candied fruit, quince and white flower.

I'm getting ready to order samples of Kilian's Discovery Collection, which all sound uh-mazing.

Are you a fan of Luckyscent? Are you a fellow perfume whoooore? Share your favey crocketts with me - I'm always on the lookout for new scents. My preference leans towards the foody/gourmand scents - how boutchoooo?

Speaking of fans, I ran into a guy who was apparently a fan of my ensemble at Target over the weekend. I had seen him in the store, and then we were a checkout apart when paying, and he actually finished and waited for me. He started walking out, and then stopped to let me go ahead of him. TOTALLY checked out my butt (how do I know? I could feel it getting hot). "Those are some BADASS boots," he finally said. "Uh, thanks," I said, and laughed nervously.

It has been a while since I've had someone check me out.

On another note, I like the photo above, but HATE that you can see my pocket coming out. Drives me nuts. Oh well. Happy Monday, yo.

Sweater: Gift from me mum, someplace in Germany

Pants: Old Navy

Boots: ZooShoo

Bracelets: Target

Necklace: F21

Earrings: Gift

Merci!
Shan

Random (p)Inspirations - aka Awesome Sauce

Let's spread a little awesome sauce for the weekend. Enjoy.

Source: google.com via Shannan on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Shannan on Pinterest

Source: cheezburger.com via Shannan on Pinterest

Source: madamecupcake.tumblr.com via Shannan on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Shannan on Pinterest

Source: vshu.tumblr.com via Shannan on Pinterest

Merci!
Shan

Happy Turkey Day TSAR*

Thought I'd post a That Sh!t Ain't Right - Good vs. Evil - to celebrate Thanksgiving (for those readers in the US of A, anyway). Let's proceed, shall we?

That Shit Ain't Right - Good

Julie Bowen, the more I see you, the more I inappropriately love you. Though I am not loving your hair here, your dress - which is SMASHING - and those shoes - more than make up for it. Do you want to be BFFs? Yes ___ No ___ Maybe ___ Please stop stalking me ___

Zoe Saldana, you are killing me softly with this dress. And I know I ranted last week about Project Accessory referring to Kelly Osbourne as a style icon, but I truly believe you can apply that term to Mz. Saldana. She's like buttah. A biiiiig bowl of buttah. Only those of you old enough to have watched SNL in its Mike Myers/Linda Richman heyday will appreciate that, and that's okay, cuz I'm good enough. I'm smart enough, and doggone it, PEOPLE LIKE ME. There. How's THAT for a twofer?

DAYUM, J-Hud! Girlfriend BROUGHT IT with the continuation of Zoe's black and gold look. You deserve two snaps, a twist, and a kiss. Can't touch this.

Oh, Naomi Watts - I REALLY hope those rumors this summer about Liev Schreiber cheating on you were not true, cuz I love you both. What else do I love? That flapperesque sparkly numbah you're wearing. It'th delightful.

Michael Fassbender? When I look at you in this suit, all I can hear is Beyonce singing "To the left! To the left! Everything you have in your pants to the left!" That shit ain't right, but in the best way possible....

That Shit Ain't Right - Evil

I don't know what it is about Katherine Heigl, but I have an almost visceral reaction every time I see a photo of her. Cannot STAND the woman. Her slicked back hurr, bewbs a-plenty and leg-o-mutton in your face is no exception. BLECH.

What in the name of Sweet Baby Jesus is going on with Christina Aguilera???? So she's gained a little weight - so what. What REALLY concerns me is her hair and makeup. Won't someone PLEASE stage a beauty product/hair color intervention with girlfriend???? Seriously. It is tragic. Anytime I have seen her sans makeup, or with very little, I cannot believe it's even the same person. She looks 10 years younger without all of the crap on her face - SO much better. Come on girl, you cannot REALLY think this 47 year old divorcee out on the town after work look is working for you, can you????

Blake Lively hits the red carpet for the premiere of her new movie: "Nancy Kerrigan: The Day the Skating Stopped."

Seriously, Ed Westwick - STOP MAKING THIS FACE. It's CREEPY.

Let's end on a funny, shall we (I mean, besides that skating costume above)... Oh how I miss the days of In Living Color, when I would patiently wait for the show to start, hit record on the VCR, then a) try to recreate the Fly Girls' ensembles (cutoff denim shorts? check. over the knee socks with garters? check check. bustier? check check check. black hat with netting? yup, that too), and b) watch their routine overandover until I learned that week's dance. True story. ILC was pretty ground-breaking for its time, and my favey fave characters? Men On Film, aka Blane Edwards and Antoine Meriweather. That shit ain't right. Enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving!



Merci!
Shan

Turkey Day Eve

Just thought I'd share my menu and links with you for our Turkey Day meal. I'd love to hear what any of you are planning too! And in the spirit of sharing and full-disclosure, I should prolly also say that today's ensemble is a direct ripoff of this one (minus the AWESOME fringey sweater coat of many colors):

on my homegirl Carrie from This Free Bird. And I did not realize until just now that her shirt says New York, while mine is - duh - California. I only remembered that she had on a long sleeve tee of sorts. Weirdly coincidental.

Maple Roasted Turkey with Sage and Bacon - I made this a few years ago, and the bacon shingled on top of the turkey? Was - DUH - delish.

Cornbread stuffing with apples, sausage, and dried cherries - The recipe in the link isn't EXACTLY what I'm doing, as I like dried cherries in my stuffing, and will omit the bourbon, but I'm a big recipe tinkerer. Sometimes I just have an ingredient (or ingredients) in mind that I want to use, so I'll google oogle oogle til I just can't google no more, and combine various recipes to get what I want. I'm not combining in this case, just tweaking. Tinker, tweak, google - this post has gone straight up gay porn.

Gingered Cranberry Sauce - I have never been a fan of the cranberry until the last few years, and now I like it a lot, ESPESH with leftover turkey in sammich form. YUM. This recipe with the ginger sounds simple but yum.

Butternut Squash with Toasted Pecan and Goat Cheese Gratin - In the words of a commenter on Tom & Lorenzo the other day, "Holy flying f@#ksticks," this is the Best. Dish. EVER. I mean, just look at the ingredients: butternut squash, toasted pecans, GOAT FRIGGING CHEESE, heavy cream...it's a big, oooozy, creamy, crunchy squashapalooza of goodness. Do yourself a flavah and MAKE THIS BITCH.

Ginger Pumpkin Tart - Typically I make a Banoffee Pie for Thanksgiving, just cuz it's my favorite pie, but I only want it around the house once a year (because any more than that and I'd weigh roughly 487 pounds). ANYHOOZLE, I came across this recipe for ginger pumpkin tart and thought it looked grand, so GPT it is. And apple pie for The Hubs (courtesy of my mom), with NO CINNAMON, because apparently in Ireland, they don't do crazy things like put cinnamon or nutmeg in their apple pie. Nosirrreeeebob. It's apple, sugar, and crust. Blah. Oh, and also? The Hubs requested mashed potatoes AND roasted potatoes AND stuffing, to which I said - NO, PICK ONE - what am I, Monica from that episode of Friends where she made eleventy five different kinds of potatoes for everyone? I THINK NOT. BUT I DIGRESS.

While I'm digressing, imma go ahead and say this too - The Hubs stays up much later than me at night, and gets in the bed and is FREEZING EFFING COLD, and tries to snuggle up to me at, say 2 a.m., while he is - did I mention - FREEZING EFFING COLD, and put his ice cube toes all up in my bizness, and last night, I was having NONE of it. No snuggle for you, sir. Mayhaps you should get your arse out of the bed and put on some socks. I mean. HOW RUDE. Sorry I just went all Stephanie Tanner on you.

Wow - I had a lot to say today, didn't I? So let's hear it - what are YOU having for dinner this year on Thanksgiving? And for those readers outside of the U.S. - you can share your dinner plans as well - it's all good.

Sweatshirt, Skirt, Jewelry: F21 (Geez, F21, SOMEONE deserves an F21 sponsorship, amirite)?
Boots: Kohl's, Lauren Conrad

Merci!
Shan