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Button up by Truth, scarf from T.J. MAXX, jeans by Cello, loafers by Me Too.

Turn a listening ear

& 

be 

slow 

to 

speak.

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Sweater by Free People, coated skinnies by Rich & Skinny, fur lined booties by Michael Kors.

Oh yes it's ladies night and I had the honor of hanging out with a couple of my girlfriends tonight over happy hour at Brix Tavern.  I'd never been there before, and I have to say - FAB happy hour!  They have great prices on food and $4 martinis!  What's even better is they have paper table cloths, my favorite.  What's even better is I had a few minutes before my friends were going to get there so I was able to draw!  To the right is the pic I drew.  After I drew it, I decided it looked like Cher - though her voice and jaw bone are that of a man's...I guess this is her effeminate portraiture ;). My server wanted to keep it so she put it up in the kitchen before I was able to order my food.

I love to draw and I don't take enough time to do it.  Must. Make. Time.

Make time for the things you love to do.

Jennica

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Top by BCBG, belt by BCBG, pants by Forever 21, heels by MIA.

Today was Fat Wednesday.  Some call it Ash Wednesday, but I still needed to make my Paczkis (Recipe Here), so I added more flour, told that ball of dough who's boss, and fried the paczkis.  Some, cinnamon apple filled and some boysenberry jam filled, there were only a few jets of hot oil that shot across the kitchen, only a few unexpected giant flames coming from the burner, and I only had to deep fry them twice, since the first time I didn't do it long enough...It's a good thing my boyfriend was nearby to dial any necessary three digit numbers for "assistance" if it came down to it.  All said and done, they were delicious!  It's definitely not something I would make very often, one - because I risked my life, and two - I hear paczkis like to hang around the hips...

XOXO,

Jennica

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Vintage cropped sweater from my mama, jeans by Rock & Republic, leopard print heels by Kelly & Katie.

Happy Fat Tuesday!  What an awful name for a mildly celebrated holiday, depending on your neck of the woods.  If one didn't know the purpose/meaning behind the holiday, people might just run the other direction - fast.  My boyfriend attempted to run the other direction fast when he saw me bust out the feathered masks...Much to his chagrin, I got a selfie with him.  He strained to stance a game face, but I tickled him.  Selfies and tickling make for very blurry pictures I hear.

So my friend Ashleigh is actually from Louisiana, so she has an excuse to celebrate this silly holiday, but as you can see, I decided to jump on the bandwagon.  It's so fun!  You get to eat jambalaya, eat Kings Cake or attempt to make Polish Paczkis!  I made jambalaya and then attempted to make Paczkis - basically a jelly or baked apple filled doughnut...it isn't going well so far...and seeing as it's 9:45 pm...I'm thinking this may be a morning or evening gig for tomorrow.  Eating Paczkis a day after Fat Tuesday?  Who's keeping track?

Whether you participate in the season of Lent which comes after the amazing Fat Tuesday, or you try to use self-control in tempting areas of your life year round, self betterment is always a plus.  So you should do that.  However, all things, or most, go out the window on Fat Tuesday.  I'll let you know how these Paczkis work out when I'm celebrating Fat Wednesday tomorrow ; )

Cheers!!

Jennica

PS~Don't forget to check out yesterday's post!

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Dress by Tart, heels by Cole Haan.

First of all, I'm a sucker for all things asymmetrical.  Second of all, I ate the last of the Samoas.  Am I devastated?  Yes.  Will I cry myself to sleep?  Yes.  Am I ecstatic that those melt-in-your-mouth cookies will no longer be staring me straight between the eyeballs, taunting me from the moment I get home at night to the moment I step foot out the door the next morning?  Absolutely.

Off to cry myself to sleep,

Jennica

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Tank by Staring at Stars, scarf by ??, jeans by Plastic By Gly, booties from Italy.

Stove top popcorn?  Check.  Tavola wine by Ponzi Vineyards?  Check.  Antenna strategically placed so that I get a clear picture for the oscars?  Check.  Fabric to make my kitties their own Oscars formal wear?  Check.  Sewing machine working properly?  Uncheck.

Yeah, about that....So I had this grandiose plan to copy one or two of the favorite Oscars dresses and do a quick photo shoot of the kitties hammin' it up for the camera for today's blog post.  As I began sewing the goods, the needle got stuck, bending just at the point.  Of course there are no spares, so the kitty formals will take a rain check.

#Firstworldproblems aside, Ain't no Oscars like the Oscars hosted by Ellen!  If anyone knows how to get Pharrell, Brad Pitt, and Merrill Streep laughing all the same time, she has the magic touch and Ellen's the girl for the job.  What made her magic touch a dead giveaway was when she pranced onto the stage in a fairy godmother getup.

Enough about Ellen, let's talk fashion!!  This year's Oscars brought a vast array of style, elegance, and swagger.  From Sandra Bullock in her Alexander McQueen navy, sophisticated gown, to Amy Adams in her navy, peplum dress by Gucci, both effortlessly wore their classic styles on the red carpet.  Just as glamorous?  Jennifer Lawrence in her red, strapless peplum gown.  Not as glamorous?  Tripping for the second time.  I have to say though, I feel a bit of relief in seeing her fall as this means these gorgeous women and men aren't perfect either!  Lastly, in simple elegance, Lupita Nyong'o wearing her Prada plunging neckline, pleated baby blue dress.  After watching a clip of her performance in 12 Years a Slave, and hearing her heart-felt speech, there is no one more deserving than her of that Academy Award.

As for the men, though Pharrell can pull off the bermuda shorts as a part of his suit and tie style, I have to say, I'm not sure he kept it classy enough this round.  And Jared Leto?  I can't say I saw his speech, but regardless, I was too distracted by his crazy hair!!  Cut the hair Jared, cut the hair.

Best speech? Matthew McConaughey.  "Someone to look up to, something to look forward to, and someone to chase."  I agree completely with his "...looking up to God." I also believe that family and friends are the most important gift we have, and I concur looking forward to my time with them.  Lastly, he says he needs someone to chase.  At first I thought he came across as if he were riding just a little high on his horse when he stated that the person he was chasing was him - ten years down the road.  After contemplating it a little longer, I connected it to always striving for the best and seeking to better yourself, no matter how high a mountain you've climbed.

Finally, to conclude the Oscars, 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture!  This is honestly the number one picture I want to see after watching the Oscars, though many others are a close second.  In summary, I absolutely loved the classic, old hollywood style, and the fabulous films being showcased.  And maybe next year, my kitties will get their formal gowns...

Glamorously yours,

Jennica

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Shawl by Cynthia Rowley, long sleeve shirt by O.P., jeans by Paige, loafers by  Sanuk.

This shawl is actually a sweater vest.  When I was putting it away one day, I was folding it, and discovered that by folding it in half a strategic way, the armholes lined up.  Then I thought, "Hmmmm, I just might be able to put my head through that hole..." And viola! I've now added a shawl to my wardrobe without spending money.

Urgency.  To be honest, I tend to operate on urgency.  Whatever is most important is what I tackle first. And the cycle continues.  Many years ago, I learned an interesting strategy in prioritizing tasks. Obviously there are many ways to go about this and recently in one of my posts, I talked about organizing a to do list based on the amount of time a task would take.  With the urgency strategy, one would categorize his/her tasks into four compartments.  Here is an example of how they would be organized clockwise from the top left of a 4-compartment box:

• Urgent/Important.  
• finish my report cards
• Plan out what's for dinner
• Feed the cats in the morning
• Urgent/Unimportant
• Take out the garbage
• Pack lunches for work tomorrow
• Insert something else that seems urgent/unimportant here...
• Not Urgent/Important
• Call my friend to follow up about plans for coffee
• Laundry
• Get the oil changed in my car
• Not Urgent/Unimportant 
• Reorganize my closet
• Mending my clothes
• Catch up on the last episode of my favorite TV show

As you can see, I'm still prioritizing my task list, but in a different way. This strategy can help one to minimize stress by eliminating the urgent tasks first, then getting to the other tasks as time allows.  The only down side to this strategy is by the time you finally figure out which category a task should be in, you could have completed it already!  In that scenario however, I would recommend narrowing it down to Urgent vs. Not Urgent.  

Happy First of March!

Jennica