My Tears for Ms. Spears

Who put this picture on the cover of Cosmopolitan?! This unfortunate display of my favorite Mouseketeer has watched me for weeks every time I check-out at the store. I just shake my head and look away from the discoloration in the extensions, the lazy eye (or the stink eye, as my sisters and I call it), and the bags under her eyes. Whoever was in charge of this photo shoot should be fired! The least they could do is photoshop it a little more, or choose a picture where her eyes are opened equally. I am very well aware that we all have our off days where we are less than photogenic, but help a girl out - she's been through enough - and let the public see the Britney who is not a train wreck. I haven't been able to bear opening the magazine due to the cover, but I hope Britney is redeemed by the spread of photos in her article.

NJSE (New Jersey Stock Exchange)

Of all the people they have booked to ring the opening bell, the cast of MTV's Jersey Shore may be the most bizarre. On Tuesday, I watched Snooki stand right smack in the middle of the rest of her roommates and ring in the financial day. Word on the (Wall) Street is that MTV would not allow the cast to give an interview after...hmm, 'stand and look pretty' much?

Can't stop listening to...

I listen to this on repeat, and I am only semi-ashamed.

Food, Blah

I may be the furthest thing from a foodie (n; a person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment, especially good food and drink) as you can get. Sure, I like to eat, but the only enjoyment I get from food is knowing that I will be able to climb the stairs thanks to the energy it provides me. Basically as long as I can stomach what I'm eating, I'm good. In college, I lived off of a salt-and-peppered piece of grilled chicken, a scoop of white rice, and a can of vegetables for every dinner. Bland and...healthy, I think.

I also have a meal that I always fall back on in case I'm not in the mood to put ANY effort into food prep: Kraft Easy Mac cups. Macaroni and Cheese is my 7th food group and I require at least one serving a week. There's just enough in these Easy Mac cups that fills me up which makes me a happy girl.

PS. Don't worry, I believe in healthy foods for any other meals.

[from] flickr

Vaca Remix

Vacation: it's what summer is designed for. You find a few days, go to the beach, and relax. This year, my family's schedules have been less than cooperative, so we are resorting to an extended weekend trip. We leave Friday morning to...I don't know where. My parents have planned a surprise vacation for my sisters and I.

Now my parents are fairly normal people. On a scale of LAME to COOL they would be tipping ever-so-slightly towards the COOL side for most things. My dad was embarrassing in middle school (ie. putting on a hideous mask to pick up my sister and I from a Halloween dance), but now I usually just team up with him to humiliate my youngest sister. Mom is not always up to date with our generation's culture, but she really went the extra mile to search for Zombie Chips (a la Nickelodeon's "Doug" April 19, 1992 episode) for us at Kroger. We're pretty sure that Mom & Dad mean well, so at least we know this vacation is well thought out.

My sisters and I are just hoping we're not going anywhere that requires costumes...or bagpipes...

[from] Awkward Family Photos

Kissing Enrique

Wasn't it Jennifer Love Hewitt that Enrique Iglesias was loving on in his 2001 "Hero" music video? Oh how the times have changed. This morning I caught a glimpse of Enrique's performance of "Hero" on the Today Show. It appeared that one lucky member of the audience had been chosen to be on stage with the Latin singer, but as the song progressed, I was aware of some heavy PDA for 9:30 am TV (and a singer and his fan aka people that don't know each other). The shocking part came at the very end so here's the video...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

So Melissa from the Bronx admits she is thinking dirty thoughts and I am totes weirded out. Head on over to The Today Show website and check out the beginning part of the song if you can stomach it.

PS. If you do watch the first half of "Hero," don't miss Meredith Vieira who is laughing it up when the camera pans her way during the performance.

[from] The Today Show

All Things White

I get lost for hours at a time on Etsy just looking at the thousands of results in one search. My favorite thing is when I find a seller with an entire store that I fall in love with. I recently came across allthingswhite and continue going back to look at all of their white trinkets they have to offer.

Naturally I am biased because of my affinity for everything white when it comes to decor, but what a fun shop idea! They should contact White House | Black Market.

[from] allthingswhite

Pam & Jim Off the Market

Most of 2008 for me was spent anticipating when and how Pam and Jim were going to get married. I never really thought about the individuals outside of their characters on "The Office", until I saw Pam on the cover of Shape magazine in a bikini. This was the moment I realized they were Jenna Fischer and John Krasinksi, not Pam and Jim. This was also the moment I silently weeped because I realized that they were not in fact having a lavish Hollywood wedding together.

Thankfully two years have given me time to recover, and it has also given these two actors a chance to find romance apart from each other. Fischer started dating Lee Kirk, a writer, in 2008, and were married last week in Malibu on Saturday, July 3rd.

Krasinksi began seeing the gorgeous British actress Emily Blunt also in 2008, and they were coincidently wed in Italy yesterday, just a week after Beesly...I mean, Fischer.

[from] here and here

Pretty Pets

Sharon Montrose's website it beyond captivating. She is a photographer of furry friends with most of them being set against a white backdrop. Each picture enhances the beauty in animals and portrays them as calm, graceful, and curious creatures. Montrose is also the talented photographer behind this spring's bunnies and sheep that Target and Liberty of London teamed together to created!

If you are looking to buy Montrose's art, her prints are available on her etsy shop.

[from] Sharon Montrose

She Said...

"I really love to clean. It's not anything compulsive, it's just that you can see a difference when you're through. Not like raising kids or something that you're not sure how it's going to turn out for a couple of decades."

-Jill Churchill, "A Farewell to Yarns"

V. Important

This unfortunate incident occurred two days ago on the golf cart path in between Kedron Aquatic Center and the Kedron Chick-fil-a. As of yet, no one has been a good samaritan and returned his tennis ball.

And so the search continues...

Pretty Little Liars

When I think ABC Family, I can't help but think 7th Heaven. Sure, it was fun to watch in middle school when everyone would talk about the episodes at school, but as I entered high school I realized that the plot line was still struggling back in its middle school produced fashion. Plus, there was no way David Gallagher could have been related to any of those people.

Alright, let's forget about Lucy, Simon, Happy, and all the other Camdens and flash forward to present day where ABC Family has finally shaken their unrealistic, bland, and (sorry to say it) goody-two-shoes reputation by creating Pretty Little Liars.

At first I refused to watch their new show because I was convinced it would consist of but-my-dog-ate-my-homework fabrications, but my sister insisted this was better than anything ABC Family had ever put on air. Sidenote: my sister defines all things cool. So I watched an episode and now I can't get enough.

The series is based off of the teen books by Sara Shephard and is a cross between Gossip Girl and Desperate Housewives, complete with a Queen Bee, a dead friend, and 4 female lead roles.

Unfortunately ABC Family does not have all of the episodes up online for our viewing pleasure, but even if you start watching now, it doesn't take long to read the episode recaps that started at the beginning of June. Or I'm sure the books wouldn't take long either. Pretty Little Liars airs on Tuesdays at 8pm on ABC Family.

[from] here and Eonline

America the Beautiful

Happy 4th of July!

[from] Martha Stewart

Look! Book!

Regardless of neighborhood, continent, or family background, I think it is a universally accepted truth that we all have books in our home. What has always interested me is the different way that everyone organizes their reading collection.

Candace Bushnell's magnificent bookshelf with an appropriate majority of pink covers.

Yes, yes, yes! Organizing any and all books by color makes everything look so much more organized!

If only all my books were uniform like this, I would have the most beautiful collection!

One day I will have my own ladder along my library bookshelf, and I will swing along like Belle in "Beauty & the Beast".

Another idea that I have heard of is wrapping your own cover around a book in whatever color of paper you want and then putting a tag on the spine or writing the title in your own handwriting.

[from] Habitually Chic, Audrey Hepburn Complex, & Southern Living.

3 Amigos: Harry, Hermione, & Ron

I'll admit that I have not read all 7 of the Harry Potter books, but I still go year after year to see the movies. And yes, the wizardry aspect if fascinating and everything, but I am a total sucker for the character development and romance that goes on between Harry, Hermione, Ron, & co. And just in case you haven't seen the trailer for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," here it is for your enjoyment!