Pip Pip Cheerio!

Have you heard the gossip about Oprah and B.Walts battling it out for Pippa's first real interview (my money's on Lauer)? Well I think it's all a bunch of rubbish, because Pippa already gave me first dibs! Take that, B-Dubs!

Without futher adieu,
Pippa would like to say "hello, guvna!"




Hi, party people. I'm the one they call the Pip-ster.

I'm a Sagittarius and share a birthday with my idol, Britney.

Just last week, I turned down an invitation to participate in the Westminster Dog show because I found out it wasn't a full-glitz pageant. I mean, really.

My life's ambitions are to visit all 50 states, and to own my own business.

I know it's only January, but I'm already working on my tan. Gotta look hot for Spring Break!

Ringo is my favorite Beatle.

Until next time, cheerio!

Friday Funny

Aren't you glad I'm unemployed so I can bring these gems to the masses??











You're welcome, America.

P.S. Don't you love the parents' grammar skillz? "You did so good, hunny...you gon win the whole pageant"...I just can't. And why aren't there any Emilys or Janes or Kates?

Danny Zucc-o

I LOVE this recipe. Mostly because it reminds me of SB '11 at the cabin in Blue Ridge {from hiking, to horseback riding, to orchard visiting, this treat sustained us the whole week}.

the goods! {Spotted: Most amazeballs pen E.V.E.R.- Staples OptiFlow}

Grate the zucchini! Preheat the oven to 325, then grease AND flour 2 loaf pans (I halved this batch so I would only have to use one pan...and because I don't need the temptation)

Mix dry ingredients minus the sugar...

AND, SIFT!

Beat the eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Add the sifted ingredients.



Stir in the Zucc!



Slide that bad boy into the oven and bake 40-60 minutes (mine took about 50)



Enjoy a refreshment whilst you wait!



Ta-da!

I rank this recipe in the "I really like you" category, because of the grating and sifting factors. I mean, I wouldn't almost shave skin off of my index finger or just anyone, if I were you...

...not like that happened or anything.

Brain Dump

• I re-did my playlist post from Friday so that now when you visit the page, you aren't immediately forced to jam to Beyonce (If you only came to this blog for the purpose of forced-pop-music-listening, you have my apologies).
• I'm SO tired of random and rude non-followers (read: 45 year-old men) replying to my tweets that it's forced me to go off the grid (read: protected tweets). Ok, yes, obviously I enjoy freedom of speech because I tweet about things like my Dad JOKINGLY thinking Ann Curry is a communist...but that was not an invitation for some creeper with a "communism" search net to catch any and every tweet involving Reds to yell at me about what a great person Ann is. COME ON. Obviously it was a joke and if you aren't fluent in sarcasm, this is not the social network for you, buddy. (And yes, chances are if you're a middle age man that I don't know and you request to follow me I'll block you because, frankly, what is it about my tweeting of the hot guys on Pretty Little Liars and the Kardashians that attracts you so??)
• Coming to a crate near me this weekend: THE PUPPY! Look for endless posts on sleepless nights and potty training failures in the near future!
  

Happy Wednesday!

Bestsellers List?

Oh hey! Looks like I survived Zumba round 1! I plan on doing a Zumba re-cap as I get a few more workouts under my (ever-shrinking) belt...have no fear!

Last week I posted my reading list with a promise to review a few of the books as I finished them. Shwell, breaking promises is way lame so here we are...

Death Comes to Pemberley

This book was somewhat snoozy, which was a major letdown. I really wanted to like it, because I love all things P&P, but the book was slow to go and very repetitive (without giving too much away, the plot focuses on a murder and trial and the "facts" presented are repeated 573 times over the course of the story). It was well-written, but not my favorite on the whole.

The Hunger Games

On the flip side, this book ROCKED my world. I was slow to jump onto the trilogy bandwagon, but I now find the seats to be super comfy and the scenery spectacular! Seriously, you must read. I finished #1 last night and cannot wait to get my hands on Catching Fire.

cbk

Day 1

If I don't survive to post again tomorrow, this is the cause.

Yes, this is available at BB&B. Judge me.

New Page

I'm trying to selling some Vera Bradley pieces on the new "For Sale" page of this blog! Each piece is in great condition and I'm only selling them to free up space in my closet because they aren't my style anymore! If you're interested in any of these pieces or know someone that might be, email me at planacourtingly@gmail.com

Thanks!

Happy Tunes

I'm admitting defeat today...not having the best of weeks in terms of patience with the job search and feeling bad for myself {L.A.M.E.}, so a little musical therapy is in order! I'm taking this idea from two of my favorite blogs, These Happy Miles and Blair's Head Band. Thanks, ladies!

Happy Weekend! What are your go-to-pump-it-up jams?

The Doxie's Docket

I have a tendency to bite off more books than I can chew, what with the library holding all those free gems just waiting for me to scoop up, like Belle sliding down the wall on the ladder searching for her faves to borrow (clearly all my reading has not deterred my using run-on sentences). Per usual, I'm reading 3 books right now and have a slew of others waiting in the wings.

Currently reading:
Band of Brothers (ongoing since finals week...worst historian ever, I am)
Death Comes to Pemberley (review to follow if I ever finish it)
One Year Bible (self-explanatory)

Next Up (vacationing in the J.Adler book ends...love 'em?!):
The Hunger Games (I'm always late to the party)
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict (might skip this one, still undecided)

read on!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

It's ba-aaaack

SQUEEEEE! Tuesdayyyy!

Today marks the return of some of my favorite shows! "Glee" and "New Girl" on Fox return after a feels-like-forever "winter break". I have to admit, Glee has been a smidge disappointing this season and I miss the misfits of season 1. New Girl on the other hand has been a pleasant addition to my DVR lineup...I worried it would be super lame at first {and maybe it is} but I love Zooey's humor and have a soft spot for Schmidt (and his jar).

Speaking of, Miss Z had one of my favorite looks at the Golden Globes...

mod and quirky just like Jess!

My other TV addictions are "Pretty Little Liars" and "Once Upon a Time" and I'm happy to say I recently delved into Emily Thorne's twisted world of "Revenge". I was reluctant at first because I felt that the show was SO over-hyped, but it turns out it was hyped just right!

Any other must-see shows I should be aware of?

Won't you be mine...?

As a singleton, I feel somewhat obligated to tell you how much I hate Valentine's Day. Lest you think I'm about to dive into a diatribe about Hallmark and their schemes...relaaaaax. I'm trying to rise about the negativity. You're welcome!

Since I like the color pink and I look smashing in red, I'll humor you lovers of heart shaped cards with some of my favorite sentiments. If I had a valentine, or was a 5th grader eager to fill my mailbox with sweet treats, I'd save these for myself. Alas, I'm sharing them with you lucky dogs!

source: all from Pinterest.com

Happy valentine hunting!
(only 28 days to go!)

The Nugg

I cannot decide whether this week has flown by or dragged on...you know?

I don't have any big plans this weekend. Tonight I'm going to dinner with a friend from high school and I have to work tomorrow (boo!). Hopefully I'll throw some exercising in there somewhere, and I'll definitely be doing some pup-prep!

SPEAKING OF...




I've gotten a few comments and tweets about ^THIS^ nugget, and YES, this is my long-awaited pup! As long as her appointments go well, I'll be able to bring her home in two weeks! I've been slowly accumulating the dog-necessities including, but not limited to, nail clippers (yes, I'm going to be a crazy kook who cuts her dog's nails to save $15), beds, and of course toys! Sadz...she does not have a name yet. I've narrowed it down to 4 or 5 but I'm super indecisive...obvs.

Want to help a sister out? Hit me with your best dapple-dachshund-nuggety-nugg names!

cbk

Remember that time I graduated?

Celebrating with the boyfriend!

Family at the fountain.

Sister, Moi, BIL

I love this place!

*and no, I did not wear Jack Rogers across the stage. Even I can muster the strength to wear heels when called for. These were simply my party shoes!

Wordless Wednesday

Eep! (ok-so I'm notso good with the "wordless" bit)

2012 Playlist

I have been known to harbor a slight obsession with music. Until recently, it was not uncommon for me to shut myself in my room for a few hours for no other purpose but to listen to and download new music on Spotify {which is totally awesome, btw, check it out!}. One of my favorite things to do at the start of a new year is to peruse that year's expected album releases in hopes of finding some gems to add to my growing collection. Here are a few of my MOST anticipated releases for 2012...

Feb 7- PAUL MCCARTNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Feb 7- The Fray "Scars and Stories"

{TBD} John Mayer "Born and Raised"

{TBD} Keane (Untitled)

{TBD} Phoenix (Unititled)

{TBD} Neon Trees

Anything you're excited to listen to this year?

cbk

The Look for Less

I've noticed that "folding flats" are all the rage these days. I had a pair that I slipped on at my sister's wedding because I have an aversion to high heels and by the time the reception rolled around, I had reached my smooshed-toes limit. Unfortunately, the prices range from extremely pricey to the cost of a decent dinner.

Take these nuggets for example,


photo credit: tieks.com

Looks {small} and innocent enough, but these bad boys will set you back a cool $200. Doesn't it make more sense to spend less on the comfortable shoes, and save up for the ones that make you want to change? If I'm gonna spend a few Mr. Franklins on some shoes, they better be some pretty boots and not shoes that can fold (and probably tear) in half.

Instead, why not throw these in your purse?

photo credit: cityslips.com
City Slips $24.95

It's worth mentioning that there are SO many designers creating their own [budget-friendly] versions of the "city flat", but I'm too lazy to continue searching the interwebz to bring all of them to you. Just wanted to let you know there ARE options!

Fine Print: I also wasn't compensated in either way by either company, especially the former that I outed for being too 'spensy. Just educating my people and passing on my very, very, very limited and oft-unsolicited fashion advice.

cbk

The Buried Life

You might not appreciate a well-choreographed music video as much as I do, but because this song is playing somewhere on your local radio at all times, perhaps you've stumbled upon this gem also known as Rihanna's "We Found Love".

Shwell, I prefer this version and these dudes:

cbk

Hoy es viernes

I have no other ideas for a clever post besides telling you about my weekend plans (and practicing my español), lucky for you they are pret-ty good! This afternoon after going to look at glasses and turning in another job application (boo) I went to look at puppies (yay!). Of course I wanted to take ALL of them home, but lucky for you {bank account} I resisted the urge. Tomorrow I'm off to look at another potential pup and then SUNDAY, BFF-L and I are going to Harry Potter World {Universal Studios}! Eeek! If you recall from this post, I made my pilgrimage to the WWHP last February and it was AMAZE. Definitely a must-see for my fellow HP-heads.

What are YOUR plans for this first weekend of 2012?

cbk

My first non-first

Yesterday most of my friends began their last semester of college. While I thought I would look upon the calendar with sadness or jealousy over my not being their to take OOTD pics like a bunch of eager first graders, or partaking in the love/hate relationship that is Target's office supply section the evening after, all I feel is relief.


BAH!


Relief, that yesterday afternoon I read a book *NOT* for a class assignment,
Relief, that I didn't have to search drop-add lists when a class turned out to be a dud,
Relief, that I spent the night watching "Revenge" (maiden voyage aboard the HMS Bandwagon) rather than starting my first homework assignment...

you get the picture. My first non-first day of classes was kind of awesome.

Remind me of this confession next week when I start professing my boredom and kindly direct me towards a hobby.

cbk

Breaking Sad

Do you ever feel like you have S.A.D.? I know it might be silly, but I do think that sometimes in the winter months when the holidays are over and the weather isn't particularly suntan lotion-inspiring (even in the "sunshine" state), my mood changes and I find it hard to become motivated. Since I graduated and haven't really decided what I want to do "next", possible S.A.D.-ness plus unemployment anxiety has struck me with the mean reds on many occasions.

So what's a girl to do...

1. READ
Ahhhh...books. The quickest way to escape? A trip to Hogwarts or Tara Plantation is always in order when you can't kick the blues. I love to read and for the first time in literally years, there's nothing on my plate that I'm being forced to read for fear of a pop quiz. On the docket?
Death Comes to Pemberley
If You Were Here
__________ ---> WHAT ELSE AM I MISSING??

2. CREATE
I'm working on whipping this ole' blog into shape...obviously we have crossed the .com threshold to endless possibilities, so we'll see how this goes. I always love a good craft, and Pinterest is like craft crack, so I'm itching to make something BUT I've put myself on restriction because I already have so much random stuff in my room that I probably need to purge. I guess I'll keep pining away at newsprint covered frames and turquoise painted furniture until I have an apartment of my own.

3. EAT
(haha...just kidding...)

4. SHOP
(again...kidding)...This usually causes my debit card to have a case of the blues in solidarity. BUT- I reeeaallllly want a dog *Veruca voice* which means I've become more thrifty [and obviously more serious about looking for work, judgy judgersons] so that someday soon I can bring home a nugget of the canine variety. Yay!

What do you do when the mean reds strike?
((AND what are you reading??))

cbk

Jobs are so serious

Today I took a career guidance quiz to find possible paths that fit my interests, skills, and goals.
Here are just a few of the careers that said quiz found me prepared for:


Artist
Acupuncturist
Book Publisher
Counselor
Doctor
Educator

...and those are just some of options A-E. If I were to continue, you might also note that I am perfectly qualified to be a veterinary assistant and radio show host.

My point? Career quizzes are bogus.

In fact- they tend to make you feel more hopeless than you might already feel. I mean, how can I POSSIBLY exhibit qualities for each of those jobs? Last I checked not all physicians were amateur painters and few archaeologists had interests in dance. It's totally important to have varied interests in today's markets, but I feel as though most of my answers were similar (as they should have been), and that they would push me toward writing/editing/educational jobs {there were a few of these, so maybe I'm not too far off the path}

Thanks to this confusing feedback, instead of searching boards for suggestions that assumed I had already earned my doctorate in physics, I applied to jobs at "paG" and "Anthrow-pology".

Because I DO know a lot about good-fitting jeans and candles that smell like men.

cbk

Oh yeah. I did.

For a while I've been toying with the idea of taking this little blog to the NEXT LEVEL (said like Lil' John), and giving it a shiny domain of its own. The more I thought about it, the more I asked myself, "do I really need a .com trailing my name to validate myself?"

Turns out I do, Blogger.

ahem. www.planacourtingly.com.

Sometimes in life you just have to fork over $10 to Google. Just because. Because if you do, small hobbies can become large projects that become careers. And while no one has yet contacted me to write music reviews or criticize celebrities for their choice in baby names for profit, you never know what will happen when you stop introducing stories with "You'll never guess what happened to me today" and start prefacing them with "You'll never guess what I did today".

cbk

Updation Station

New year?
New domain.


{www.planacourtingly.com}


Update yo' reader, por favor!

cbk

p.s. pardon the dust