Comfort at its finest

Every now and then, everyone enjoys a little helping of comfort food. For me, that moment came last night when the thought of macaroni and cheese became a craving I couldn’t ignore. Although it wasn’t homemade or anything special, my box of Kraft mac and cheese did the trick.

I swiped the box from my dad’s pantry and I’m inclined to believe it probably wasn’t his, which means I technically swiped from those who shall remain nameless (insert sordid family drama here), but I feel okay about it; it was only one box.

One day, maybe my sophistication will evolve (and my budget too) and this Rachel Ray recipe of spinach and artichoke mac and cheese I found in my new cookbook will become my go-to comfort food. Or maybe this three cheese ziti and smoked chicken casserole from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. The possibilities are endless.

I somehow refrained from eating the entire box:

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Life’s necessities

Anyone can go on and on about how all you need in life is a caring family, friends for life and a lovable pooch. And that may well be true, but let’s be real here. What do you really need in life? A decent Internet connection, which I did not have for the greater part of my morning.

I am sorry, but the daily functions of life–life’s necessities if you will–include the ability to easily check your e-mail without having to walk to the Panera down the street (purchase of delicious Asiago cheese bagel notwithstanding), get your news for the day and get on with it.

I suppose no one likes to listen to an endless rant, so suffice it to say, I had my Internet up and running several hours later and all was once again right with the world. I will give Charter this, though–they actually respond to your tweets. Plus one for them.

The cure for a bad case of being crabby? Reading comics!! Here are three of my favorites:

Peanuts — Snoopy is awesome. Enough said.

Love Is… — the best thing to hit the comics page since the Peanuts gang. For a daily helping of Love Is… click here.

Funky Winkerbean — the name alone says it all.

[All images via fanpop, weblogtoolscollection & tech it easy]

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5 things to love about March

Each time March comes around, it seems to be the beginning of the end of winter. As all Midwesterners know, winter truly doesn’t seem to end until April, but still, one can hope right?

Here are 5 things I’m looking forward to this month:

1. As mentioned above, the promise of warmer weather. It seems like wishful thinking at this point, but I’m not giving up yet. Technically-speaking there are only 19 more days of winter. YAY!

If only spring in the Midwest looked like this.

2. An upcoming trip to Italy (!!!). Josh and I were in agreement that we both wanted to do some traveling after graduation so it only seemed natural that we plan something together. After realizing–well more like panicking–that a three week sojourn around Europe is kind of expensive, we settled on a week-long adventure to Rome and Florence.

I can only hope Florence actually looks like this.

3. St. Patrick’s Day. I may be Irish (helloo Caitlin Ashleen – can it get any more Irish than that?), but I’ve never been one for beer or excessive amounts of drinking. However, I’m happy to celebrate the luck of the Irish. Now if only some of that luck would rub off on me.

A little luck o' the Irish.

4. The promise of more dogs to walk! January and February are historically slow months in the dog walking business. Which seems odd to me, since if I had a full-time job and a pet and I could afford a dog walker, I would definitely want someone for all those cold, snowy, icy days. I cannot tell you how many times I have slipped on the nasty sidewalks. And yes, the pooches just look at me, as if to say, “Why are you sitting down? We have a walk to take!”

Thank goodness I only have to walk them one at a time. And that I'm a girl.

5. Hopefully “building confidence beyond stature.” Sounds corny I know, but there is a great blog that I follow called Extra Petite. As the name sounds, it provides tips and suggestions on how to find great clothes that fit when you are petite. Sunday’s post was all about looking your best, carrying yourself well and being a valuable contributor. I couldn’t agree more and believe it is something that everyone should work on, no matter what your stature is.

Being petite is all about dressing the part, I suppose.

[Images courtesy of Getty Images, Extra Petite]

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And the winner is…

…not Anne Hathaway and James Franco. I mean, for those who watched, Franco seemed quite stoned, no?

All day yesterday, I was looking forward to watching the Oscars, and despite the shaky performances given by hosts, Anne Hathaway and James Franco, I wasn’t disappointed.

I was rooting for Natalie Portman and Colin Firth (Best Actress, Best Actor) and for “The King’s Speech” (Best Picture) and they all pulled through (yay!). Although “Black Swan” was just a little too freaky for me, I thought Natalie Portman was fabulous–she really can’t go wrong. Plus, her acceptance speech was truly touching. Catch a glimpse here. I only just saw “The King’s Speech” this past weekend, but it was definitely worth all of the praise it was given. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch the trailer. It will give you goosebumps, literally!

In other news, I won my Oscar ballot! I was only competing against one other person (Josh), but I never win anything. Seriously. I had 13 correct picks out of a possible 24 (not that great), but it still won me some much-deserved bragging rights. MUAHAHA.

And of course, my picks for best dressed: Halle Berry and Mila Kunis. Simply stunning.

Catch a complete review of the show from the Chicago Tribune here. They were pretty spot-on, in my opinion.

And just for kicks, check out my Oscar treat. Yes, I ate more than one. Oops.

Yum.

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The Gilmore way

Ever since “Gilmore Girls” debuted just over ten years ago, I’ve been obsessed and Rory has become my idol. I used to anxiously await each week’s episode and instantly crave more once it ended; my mom and I would literally be glued to to the TV.

Credit/TrendsUpdates

Last Sunday when I all I wanted to do was lay around and do nothing thanks to a brief, but blah-inducing cold, I began watching a few episodes. This past summer I re-watched the entire series and repeat episodes are regularly aired on SOAPnet and ABCFamily, so it’s not like I’ve been deprived, but once I start watching I just can’t seem to stop. This show never gets old. And so now, with an incredibly busy, stressful and potentially rejection-filled day ahead of me, all I can think about is watching right where I left off.

Credit/For The Record

Credit/The Rebel Prince TV Blog

Credit/Stephanie Perkins

Credit/Reepicheep's Coracle

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