"Black Friday" for a whole new reason.

So most people think of Black Friday as this wonderful awesome shopping bonanza.

I used to agree, but everything has changed.

Black Friday will forever be remembered as the day that the bitch at Nordstrom "guessed" that I graduated high school in 1983.

High School in 1983? Are you kidding me? I was breast feeding in diapers barely out of the womb in 1983!

I can't believe this. I realize that most people would not mistake me for being almost twice my actual age - but the fact that one hooker beyotch did - well obviously some changes need to be made.

I might throw my glasses (which i was wearing at the time) out the window of my car to be lost forever.

I plan to stop eating because i think my fat face is making me look old too.

I will not go out in public when i have a cold anymore....apparently the puffy eyes and runny nose could be mistaken for an extra 18 yrs.

I might have to change my email address because that is actually how the whole fiasco started.....

beyotch:"Mrs O'Brien can i have your email address?"
me: "sure: katieobrien83@hotmail.com
beyotch: " Ohhhh I bet I know what that is?"
Me: What? (i genuinely had no clue what she was referring to)
Beyotch: "That's the year you graduated right? I always do stuff like that with my email har har har."
Me: no words....death stare.

I mean, again are you kidding me? I think i might contact customer service. Do you think they give free clothes for EXTREME pain and suffering caused by idiot sales people?

ouch guys...not sure i can recover from that one.
44? that hurts.

If you are wondering what to get me for Christmas, a healthy dose of self esteem and some plastic surgery might do the trick.

whatta bitch.

An imaginary conversation with my niece....

Hi there Aunt Katie,

I was just sitting here looking all cute wondering if you were planning on joining us for Thanksgiving?

You aren't!?!?!?!?!?! What the heck?

It might be kind of scary without you here....I mean, I really like when you tickle my cheeks and hold me up so I can wiggle dance....

Good thing I will still be hanging out with these people. I suppose they can provide the same entertainment.

I'll make sure my gorgeous mommy knows that that is what i want to do on Thanksgiving. Usually if I cuddle her like this she will do anything I say...

Total bummer you can't hang out though....How bout Christmas?

Love,

Amory

Okay so she can't really talk being 11ish weeks old and all, but obvi...thats what she wanted to say in all those pictures :)

perfectly delish pasta dish

very rarely do i get a request for a repeat performance of a specific meal....but last night Pat asked for the same pasta I made last week - and let me tell you it was just as good the second time around. This isn't really a recipe, becasue I don't know exact amounts but it is close enough so try it on your own....oh yeah and this makes a large portion (we are all about the leftovers) so don't freak out about the amount of butter :)...or actually maybe you/I should.

In a large pan combine:

3/4 of a stick of Butter (i know so Paula Dean of me)

fresh garlic - then let it melt

Add:

chopped mushrooms

chopped sundried tomatoes

quartered artichoke hearts

sliced black olives

parmesan cheese

white wine (probably about a cup - i just poured though)

then let it simmer so all the flavors mesh together

Grill up some chicken with crushed black pepper, salt, and Italian seasoning.

Boil up some bow tie pasta

throw it all into the pan....toss it around until the pasta is coated

and Enjoy!

Thank you Holly from China....you made my day

I opened some junk email (which i never do) but I am so glad I did because this brightened my day. Good ole' "Holly Smith" from China sent the following message:

"We are famous wholesaler from China, Christmas will coming,we preparing and supplies more brand products for this ceremonious days, including diet pills(2day diet ,3x diet, 3day diet......)shoes, bags, shirts,sunglasses,watches,belts of Gucci, Prada,Nike, LV.Puma.Chanel"

I mean is it just me - or is it HILARIOUS- that the first necessity listed for the "ceremonious day" of Christmas was DIET PILLS! Lol.

I like this betches style....diet pills and belts of Gucci! Woo-Dream Big.

Ohhhh Shoot.

I got an award! from this nice lady . And actually it wasn't the first one... I just have extreme anxiety about coming out as a blog stalker to a large list of people whose blogs I stalk, but I am slowly getting over that so I decided to post it - and follow the rules

Thanks Ashley!

The rules are to write 10 interesting tidbits about yourself, and pass the award on to 10 fellow Sugar Doll bloggers :)

So here are the links to a couple of recent contributors that I will admit blog stalkerness to (some are new bloggers and some dont blog much at all but they are all fabulous):

Christi

Christina

Erin

Lauren

Mommywonderland

Heidi

Shelly

...and here are the 10 tidbits about me:

1. If i could be anything in the whole wide world it would probably be a country singer. I have put so much thought into the why's and the how's but i will keep my explanation brief: you get to enjoy all of the perks of celebrity without all of the crazy paparazzi attention and seriously how fun does Faith Hill's life look?

2. Ummm since the country thing isn't really workin out for me ( i can't sing to save my life) I really regret not becoming a nurse. I think i would love it and find it very fulfilling. I always kind of thought i would do something like that, but when i realized how much math and science was involved in the coursework (obvi) I switched to something a little more creative and a little more "passable" although i know tons of nurses now that I am sure I could hang with....i shouldn't have given up so easily.

3. I have all of these fun parties planned out in my head for my friends and I. One is a tan-tini party where i have an airbrush tanning lady come to my house to tan all of us while we drink martinis in bathrobes, and the other is like a fun little cooking party where I have a chef come and do a demonstration, teach us the recipes and then we eat the food. These will happen - I just need to work out the logistics.

4. I would secretly be devastated if babies like hated me. A lot of my friends (and one of my sisters) have new babies and I'm not going to lie....i kind of feel like a badass when they don't freak out while I am holding them. Weird that I am admitting that- yes....but i bet we all think that

5. Sometimes I am glad I moved away because I am not around the people that knew me when I was super insecure, gossipy, and all teenage angsty. I really am much more level headed now and I like myself more (the only good part of getting older).

6. I have massive plans for plastic surgery down the road. Shallow -yes, but i am all for self improvement and things don't seem to be looking better as the days go on ( oh yeah and being an old lady with big boobs just sounds like fun)

7. I am baffled by some people's wardrobes. I make a decent amount of money and can't seem to find it in me to spend more than a couple hundred dollars every great once in a while. Some people seriously appear to spend at least $500/week to look the way they do. Is that standard? Should i be spending more on clothes so that i don't look homeless? Or should i just be happy that i am not homeless and as a result my clothes are a little shabby? I mean of course I am happy i have a house, but sometime i think "this sucks! I can't dangle that house off my arm like a louis vuitton when I am out to dinner"

8. I have this big idea for Christmas this year. My whole family is going to be in Florida and ALL i want to do is buy a HUGE Crocodile Mile Slip n' Slide for us to play on. Doesn't that sound like the best time ever???? We all have decided that in addition to individual gifts we are going to each bring something for the whole fam - like a DVD to watch, or a giant bottle of Rum....or a slip n'slide. O'Connor Christmas' rule! (ummm that was supposed to be said like the O'Doyle guy in Billy Madison just in case you didn't realize)

9. I grind my teeth like you wouldn't believe while I am sleeping. Sometimes I even wake pat up with my teeth clanking. I used to have a "night guard" that i slept in, but just about every time I wore it I would throw it across the room in my sleep and not be able to find it.

10. I talk about the people who write the blogs I read like they are my real life friends (some of you actually are but you know what i am talking about). I think it is so fun that you can have so much in common with people you have never met. I love when you read a blog and someone has the same funny - shit day story as me, or you find out that everyone else you know also hates skinny jeans and the hills.

cute little diddy

I love when there is good news in the news.....

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Sanitation workers sorted through 10 tons of trash to recover a wedding ring accidentally thrown away by a New Jersey couple.
Bridget Pericolo had placed the ring in a cup that her husband, Angelo, threw out with the garbage before leaving for work.
When he realized the mistake, he contacted the town's sanitation supervisor, who suggested coming by the dump, the Daily Record reported.
Supervisor Michael Brotons and sanitation workers Edgar Lopez and Joseph McGee dug through the refuse until they found the garbage bag that Angelo Pericolo had thrown away.
The Pericolos recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary.

I would say 55 yrs is worth a dive in the garbaggggge :)...and what nice guys to help this man!

Why I love my husband....

* this post clearly violates my wife/husband agreement that states that i am not really allowed to talk about or Blog about cute things (or not cute at all) things that Pat does. Although, this one was so hilarious, I kind of have to share and i guess the reprucussions will be worth it :)

Sooooooo, yesterday was a really really long day for me. I worked all day, had an awful day at work, came home to a giant pile of dishes that I had to do from the night before (okay 2 nights before....ewww I know), and almost as soon as I was done with that I had to leave for a Junior League meeting that started at 7. Yep I am in Junior League. So anywho Pat was really cute and offered to get us some take-out sushi since i didn't have time to make a decent dinner in between work and my meeting. We ate together and then I went off to my meeting.

When I got home, Pat was watching Top Gun. I love that movie and i hadn't seen it in a while so I sat down next to him. Right around the part where whats her name tells Maverick that he made some mistake in flight class.....and right before they chase eachother all over town on the motorcycle and in the car - Pat tells me "this part really reminds me of us"......My heart melted for a second. I knew this was like 2 minutes before they finally tell eachother they love eachother and "Take my breath Away" starts. So I am watching and I am like "wow that is so not typical Pat to be all shmoozy like that. Ahhhh" ............

And then the movie moves on.....Whats her name is running after Maverick "trying to explain" and Maverick jumps on his motorcycle. "This is it this is the part that reminds me of us" pat says. Then one second later Maverick turns his motorcycle on so loud that he cant here what whats her name says and he says "i can't hear you" then speeds off.

That was it. The part where Maverick acts like a little bitch and ignores the woman he loves. THAT reminded Pat of us. EFFFFFF.

No "Take my Breath away".... no sexy, sexy "I love you." Nope, just the part where he doesn't care to listen.

Okay seriously.Is it weird to love your husband more than anything in the whole world, but also to be fully aware that he is such a piece sometimes? Duuuude.

In reality, my feelings weren't hurt at all. I wasn't reallya ll that surprised. It certainly wasn't romantic...but oddly it made me love Pat more. I am glad he isn't all shmoozy. Who wants a husband that is all soft and fragile? I would much rather get a hard time from him and get to laugh at all of his ridiculousness.

If he had some more feelings, my life would be easier. He would be easier to figure out. But, dare i say it, I might not think he was as "tough" or "cool" if he was always being cheezy and loving. He makes me work for those moments I guess and I like that much more.

Seriously Pat - you are fantastic. I love you....and I am so gonna use that "i can't hear you" line sometime very soon. When you least expect it :)

Mine is better than yours

Okay...... Hawaii +

Sweet potatoes +

+ Bananas = OMG

Okay, no offense but i can almost guarantee you with 100% certainty that the sweet potatoes that my mom makes are better than the ones you or your mom makes. Like seriously. No chance. Unless of course you have the same 25 yr old cook book that my mom has.

Heidi (who just moved to Hawaii for real)- You totally have to try this if you are staying on the island for Turkey day - or actually even if you aren't. It is delicious and you wont regret it. I promise. This truly is my favorite part of Thanksgiving at our house. My mom has always made it (ever since our family lived in Hawaii) and I love that it is unique and marshmallow free.

Ono Sweet Potatoes
By Judy O’Connor

Judy says:
" this is one more recipe from my Taste of Aloha cookbook that I love… A must for Thanksgiving dinner! If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, they are just as good as the first time around!"

2 40-oz. cans sweet potatoes or yams, drained
4-6 ripe bananas (depending on size)
3 tsp. cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon...you could cut this down to 2- 1/2)
1 tsp. salt
Light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups macadamia nut bits
4 cups corn flakes, broken in small pieces with your hand
1/2 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mash sweet potatoes and bananas with cinnamon and salt. Place in baking dish making nooks and crannies on the top with a fork. Top with a layer of brown sugar.
3. Melt butter and mix with the nuts and corn flakes. Evenly spread over the top of the brown sugar layer. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the corn flakes are golden brown.

Oh and P.S. I always make more of the topping and add more brown sugar because lets be honest....it is Thanksgiving and you can afford to have a little bit extra of the good stuff one day a year!

Undies and Airplanes.

I feel like this is a story that i made up for seventeen magazine but it really happened. I swear.

Do you know what happened to me this weekend? oh you don't? let me tell you.

It is freaking awesome when you get on an airplane with an over stuffed carry-on, only to find out that your bag is too wide to be wedged into the over head compartment. So once I find this out I start to empty the contents of my top pockets onto my seat. I do this quickly becasue I don't want to be the jerk holding up the line. So, I take out my phone charger .....throw it on the seat.....I take my clear baggy with all of my liquids out and throw it on the seat....then I took those two belts out that i had worn....and also (quickly throw them on my seat). Then I completely ignore the fact that I just made my tiny airplane seat look like a messy bedroom and continue to proceed to stuff, stuff, stuff the slightly smaller bag into the little overhead space - and finally with boatloads of effort I won and it was stored.

Only that really wasn't the end . I turned around, went back to my seat and I notice that the guyy in the military uniform next to the window is laughing. Okay 1 second passes, then two - Nope he is not laughing becasue I couldn't get my bag put away....oh no.....he is laughing becasue I also managed to take a pair of leopard print DKNY undies out of that bag and just let them chill on top of all of my unpacked junk.

Seriously? Way to go Katie. Let me just say - You are welcome Teen Magazine (you may print this as long as I am given full credit) ....and also, in closing I would like to say how glad i am that cute undies have always been a priority of mine. It would have been way worse if the undies were fug.

Thanksgiving Dessert a la Cristina.....

As promised, here is the first of what will hopefully be a series of fabulous ideas for your Thanksgiving dinners. Cristina (who is a friend from high school and happens to have one of the cutest little girls ever) sent this little diddy in. She totally gets a cookie for being the first. See below for her recipe, and click here if you would like to check out her adorable blog too!

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients:
2 packages of cream cheese, softened (8 oz packages)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not the pie filling, the plain old pumpkin)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of cloves
pinch of nutmeg
- you can use pumpkin pie spice if you prefer instead of the 3 spices
Graham cracker crust (9 inch) or Oreo crust if you are feeling spicy!

Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove a cup of the batter and spread it onto the bottom of the crust. Add pumpkin and spices to the rest of the batter and mix. Spread that mixture over the top of the crust. It will be really full!

Bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes, until the center is almost set. Let it cool then put it in the fridge overnight (although I have made them early in the morning and put them in for about 4hours and they were fine.)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Cristina

So I went back to what I know.

Apparently I am afraid of change..... I didn't find anything cute in my search for a new background and I realized that I am terrifyingly non-tech savvy. Ya'll with your cute fancy custom blogs - you are great, but I am going to stick with my clumsy template that I know so well :)

So moving on....I feel like I need to sort of explain one of the many reasons I decided to stay with my fall/thanksgivingy background. I feel bad for Thanksgiving. I wanted to represent it because everyone else seems to have forgotten it. Especially the retailers of the world. Christmas keeps popping up earlier and earlier every year. I see Christmas trees and lights and wrapped gifts everywhere and that was all while i was picking up pumpkins for Halloween! There hasn't been a single turkey decoration in sight!

This slightly bothers me.Being that I am an old lady now at the ripe old age of 26- I have a new appreciation for slowing down and smelling the roses along the way. Why rush. I want to just enjoy each holiday as it comes.

SO in order to do so, I want to start a little special Thanksgiving feature on this blog. I want you to email me with your favorite Thanksgiving dishes - and I will post the recipes for all to see.....You can also just post them on your blog and I can post a link if that works better for you.

You can even pretend that you came up with these recipes on your own when everyone at dinner tells you how delicious they are! Of course, I will have some of my own to post as well.

Send any/all recipes to katieobrien83@hotmail.com - OOh and pictures would be great if you have them :)

Enjoy the holiday with me!

Refuse to celebrate Christmas until after November 27th!

And begin building your Thanksgiving recipe arsenal.....because even though I will not be hosting this year, my time will come and obvi, I want to be the best at it :)

ewwww

Okay - hang in there with me. I know how ugly my blog looks.I am trying to figure this ish out. I just want a clean background and a cute header. Apparently I suck at this :)

tips please....

okay so I am SO sick of my background. I want something fresh and updated. Can someone send me some tips on how i can look like a cool blogger???