Thankful Thursday

Two weeks until Thanksgiving?!

Time flies...whether you're having fun or not :)

I will miss my family this holiday, but I haven't been home for a Thanksgiving in 3 years. We are going to a friend's house where his annual get-together is talk of the town for weeks. It should be fun, but no doubt, family will be on my mind.

I'm thankful for all that I've been blessed with in my life. I've said it before, but if it weren't for God's plan, I would most likely be dead or would have grown up an orphan. Instead, I've been blessed with a loving family, the chance to receive education, the comfort of knowing that if I'm ever in trouble I have someone to turn to...it breaks my heart that there are so many children out there who have grown up (or are now) without these blessings.

So today, like every day, I really do thank God for all the blessings in my life.

I'm also thankful for people like my grandfather, my own father, and my older brother for serving in the Army, protecting this country alongside countless other soldiers. May all those veterans get the love and respect they deserve, on this day and always.

left - my dad as a young officer in Vietnam;
right - in Saudi Arabia

my brother being promoted to Major

Wardrobe Wednesday

Wednesday is here again! I like it because the week is half over and it gives me a jolt of energy to get through the next two days of work.

I'm finding it so much easier to get ready in the morning since I reorganized my closet. I had planned on picking out all of the week's outfits and taking pictures of them, but then the lazy took over and I never got around to it. I have been going to bed with an outfit in mind so it's cut down my "getting ready" time in the morning by at least 20 minutes.

I thought I'd show you what I'm wearing today:

Metallic Striped Tunic


Lauren Conrad Denim Leggings


Brown Platform Heels
via Target (maybe 2007?)

I wasn't too sure about the "jeggings" trend, but I have to admit that I really like the style and comfort of this LC pair. They're very wearable and look great with boots, heels, and flats. I'm pretty short so finding a pair of jeans that I like in a length that works for me is really hard to do.

One of these days I'll take a picture of myself in the mirror, but today you can just use your imagination!

Top 5 Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!

Have you ever noticed that when the time changes, you can't get a good night's sleep? I toss and turn until I have to get up, completely negating the fact that I had the extra hour to begin with.

The big news of the weekend is that I finally won my battle with AT&T and was rewarded with the iPhone 4, after paying for it of course! So far, I'm having so much fun with it!

Please let me know which apps you like to use. I'm still trying to find a good photography one...I wanted to download Polarize, but it keeps saying it's unavailable. Also, for those that have the iPhone, what app do you use to post to Blogger? The only one I've found is BlogPress and it has mixed reviews so I'm not sure I want to pay for it.

I've had fun browsing the App Store, and so far these are my favorites.

1. Angry Birds - Oh man, this game is so fun! C downloaded it to his Droid X so we sit on the couch and play it, trading strategy tips and hints. It's really addicting, and that's saying a lot because neither of us are really "game" players. This is the only app I've actually paid for!

2. Netflix - Seriously? There are thousands of movies and tv episodes available to watch instantly. We have a Netflix account and usually use the PS3 to watch instantly, but how awesome is it that I can now watch on my phone, wherever I may be?! Poor C, so jealous :)


3. Pandora - I look at my new phone as motivation to head to the gym. This app lets me listen to crazy, upbeat workout music and the time just flies by!


4. E! Online - We all know I love my celebrities! I frequent the website a lot at work, so why not have it on my phone, too?


5. All Recipes - This is my go-to website to find recipes (I like it much more than Food Network) so it's awesome that I can have it on my phone! I have a bad habit of going into the grocery store after work and wandering around aimlessly, trying to put dinner together. Now I have this handy app and it has already helped me out so much.

Please share with me any tips or tricks
about the iPhone 4!

And, what are your favorite apps??

Return of Fall

Completely cleaned out my closet today! I'm so excited to be reunited with my fall/winter clothes :)

ps - I don't have a lot of space so I decided to display one shoe and keep its partner below. This way I know what shoes I have at a glance, instead of digging through a big mess!

pps - I'm using the pictureshow iphone app to do this post...I hope it works!

advice on buying a food processor

My mom recently asked what I would like for Christmas. The only thing I can think of really needing is a good food processor. There are so many times that I bookmark a recipe, only to realize that it requires a food processor to do some part of the recipe.

Yes, I've used a rolling pin and ziploc bag to pulverize cookies into itty bitty pieces, but I would love to be able to make things like homemade pesto and tomatillo salsa or this amazing hazelnut cream, using a processor.

In looking for one that would do the job, I thought of CSN. I see many of my fellow bloggers reviewing items and hosting giveaways featuring CSN so I knew it would be a good place to start.

My only requirements:

- processor must be regular size, no mini's!
- cost less than $200
- be a neutral color (white, stainless steel, black; no red)

CSN seemed to have a number of good options, but a few of the styles I'm interested in are currently out of stock. I've still posted those here in case any of you have opinions about them.

cuisinart custom 14 cup food processor

kitchenaid 9 cup food processor

kalorik food processor

hamilton beach 10 cup food processor

These are all in different ranges as far as price goes, but I am curious to know if any of you have a Kalorik brand processor. There are no reviews for it, but the price is right at $99. However, I don't want to skimp on price only to be disappointed in power and efficiency. There's a reason that the Cuisinart and KitchenAid options are more expensive. I am leaning towards KitchenAid since I absolutely love my stand mixer.

I know this is a boring topic*, but I want to make sure that I get something I will be able to use easily and that will fit my needs.

Do any of you own one of these and would you recommend it?
Or do you own a different kind that you would recommend?

*thanks in advance for your help!