"i am enough" collaboration

I had sent my "I am enough" story to Tracey Clark last week. She e-mailed me yesterday (Tuesday) that my story would be running today at the stroke of midnight. As you peruse through her site, you will see what this collaborative project is all about. I am very grateful to be today's featured storyteller.

http://www.traceyclark.com/iamenough/2011/8/16/i-am-enough-from-priscilla-aguila.html

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giddy? yup! bass ♥ rachel antonoff collection

giddy? yup!

{things that make me giggly joyous}

yes, of course, there is much in life that makes me especially glee-ful! but today "the giddy" goes to the...

bass ♥ rachel antonoff collection

mango and i were out at the mall yesterday. right before we bid each other farewell (after hours of guerilla dressing room trials, plus some reboosters of starbucks, auntie ann's pretzels, and cupcakes), we decided to check out macy's shoe department. i didn't have any intention of buying any shoes, so i wandered off to the hosiery department and purchased a few cute patterned jessica simpson tights.

as i waited for mango to complete her shooz tour, i took a tour of my own and stopped dead in my tracks. it may have been just the lighting, but i could have sworn i saw a beam of light drawing me towards a pair of the cutest white and olive saddle shoes. with heels! gasp and squeal! by bass?! double squeal and shock! so i grabbed the pair and looked for a nice salesperson to help me. dude whipped out his little personal scanner and stylus, then plugged around like we were at the airport counter, and i was asking for new seating arrangements. he looked at me with his smug mug and said sorry to my size. so i asked any color. and again, no. and again with the smug "you're rejected" mug. oh, how i wish we weren't in public.

mango suggested we do a drive-by through dillards. i was like a mama who lost her baby, weaving in and out through the shoe department, scanning anxiously through the ugg's, dansko's, betsey john---oooh! cute pair!--son's, jessica simpson's, sofft's... but, sigh, didn't even carry any of the bass line. i sadfully looked on my phone to find it online. and found the holy pink grail... 

image via polyvore

i could barely get my words out when mango asked if i found them online. i kept waving my arms around like a water-phobe dropped in a pool for the first time while my phone taunted me by pulling up the page creepingly slow. i showed her the pink saddle shoes. she giggled as i told her they had to be added to my pink shoe collection. she told me they'd be perfect. 


when i went to the bass web site this morning, i was excited to see an entire rachel antonoff collection. who knew an entire collection? and then i found some articles and reviews online about this collection, and where have i been? {ahem! kentucky} seems as though it's been a long awaited thang. there's even a facebook page. and i could have every single pair (could = if i had a lot of money to just throw away on bass shoes). made me wish i still had my discount. i worked at an ohio bass shoes outlet when i was in college. i happily reminisced about those crazy retail stories with my peeps. we had some saddle shoe penny loaferin' good times alright. luckily, i've found some cheaper prices online, so hopefully these will be mine soon. and i'll have some saddle shoe good times once again! then after i dust off my poodle skirt, mister and i can head on over to arnold's to share a milkshake. which would then probably lead to my next giddy.

fro'gurting

there are A LOT of frozen yogurt places popping up all over, and unfortunately they aren't too spread out. mango and i joke that we could start at one and just walk our way through to the others. since this summer of fro'gurt has begun, i've been taking mental opinionated notes.

basically, they are all set up the same. you get to sample the flavors by using the miniature paper cups you normally would stash your ketchup in. and just like the miniature paper cups you normally stash your ketchup in, you need to go through a bunch of them. it gets a little overwhelming, especially if you are a sweetsaholic like myself, but luckily, i usually bring a sponsor with me who helps calm me down and gets me through it. ("wait. you mean i can swirl these two flavors?")

after you've selected your flavor (or flavors) and have placed them in the large bowl or cone in a large bowl-- as if that wasn't enough of a sweaty decision-making hour for you-- next, you can pick whatev toppings you want. it's like ordering a nonfat skinny latte or something rather and being sure they still load up on the whipped cream and chocolate shavings. you try to be good girl, but then end up gone bad like rihanna.

by the third hour (of course, i am just using my typical frozen yogurt visits as a time reference), once you have your dish all pretty, you gotta remember to pay FIRST before tearing that pretty dish to smithereens. you pay by the weight, so that may be something to consider before you dump out the entire bin of brownies or peanut butter cups (although if you select lighter weight toppings, this may not be as much of an issue for you). then you pay the nice frozen yogurt people who have to clean up after your mess.

so, in no particular order, but i guess maybe listing them as they come to mind may subconsciously be determining their order...

naticakes was natinummy!
photo by silly blahgs

menchies was munchies
photo by silly blahgs

1. naticakes

first found out about this sweet thang via groupon (or living social). looooved the logo, the tag, the everything. then when i went, i looooved the logo, the tag, the everything. and the owner, super cute and super friendly. i feel super about this place. and once you find out the sweet background story, you will feel super about this place too. i want this decor in my house: sparkly chandeliers, beautiful tiled walls, cute seating, frozen yogurt coming outta the wall, candy station-- c'mon, you know THAT would be awesome. i tried the peanut butter swirled with banana topped with coconut shavings, baby chocolate chips, and colorful sprinkles.

2. menchie's

went with movie husband after we went to a korean restaurant (if you can recall, the times in which mister is unwilling to go to a restaurant/movie/store i want to, i call on my movie husband). he wanted dessert, and obviously, i am not one to keep someone from their dessert cravings. as he supports me in these outings, i support my movie husband when he tells me he wants to get dessert. menchie's setup is cute and bright colors, and the fro-girls that work there are cute and bright as well. and you can get a "my smileage" card that earns you--wait for it--"smiles" (points) for every dollar you spend. that visit, i smiled with my vanilla and chocolate swirled selection draped with coconut shavings, baby chocolate chips, and colorful sprinkles.

3. fro-jo's

went with my pal pinky after her recommendation (and since the cupcake place isn't open on sundays--boo!!!!). this is the first frozen yogurt place i went to. and it was a gentle experience. full of nervousness and full of uncertainty. and then minutes later, the experience was over. but i did get a punch card! cute name cuz they don't just sell FROzen yogurt, they also carry coffee as in cup o' JOe! brilliant. my cup o' fro-jo consisted of orange valencia and pomegranate topped with fruit. and just a few weeks ago, when mango and i went, there was a friggin' band playing outside. place to be friday nights if the clubs are too packed, and you don't mind, cinderella, the music stopping before midnight.

4. orange leaf

mister (yes, mister) took me here after we went to lowe's since i was a very good girl. the line was out the door, and peeps everywhere. it was a hoppin' yoguriffic day at the orange leaf. this has by far the largest square footage of all the others, which allows for a lot of flavor choices. but since it was large, there were a large amount of people. that means there was a large wait for the flavor i wanted. even with two topping stations, it still made this good girl feel like being a rihanna bad "pushing people outta the way with elbows" girl. yes, the sport of fro'gurting can be dangerous. happy to announce that i walked out the door again skipping like a good girl with my peanut butter frozen yogurt cup and my usual toppings.

overall, you can't go wrong with any of these places. and since they aren't too far away from one another, you could very well take up mango and my idea of the frogurt hopping tour. 

brunch munch duo

chai latte with dreamy whipped cream + delightful sprinkles
photo by silly blahgs

griddle cakes with peach, blueberry, and brown shugga
photo by silly blahgs

vegan sausage.
i design-plated it myself upon arrival, using only what materials
i had on-hand. i know. it's pretty amazing. dunno know if you've 
realized it yet, but i kinda have a special gift when it comes to food styling.
photo by silly blahgs

cheese grits. yes, greasy, but so very, very tasty.
photo by silly blahgs

my latest chomp adventure: alfalfa restaurant. been wanting to go forever. my new friend, who i shall dotingly refer to as 'mango' {not to be confused with my georgia peach who is allergic to mango}, and i went for brunch. lou has a supper club with her peeps where every month they go to a different restaurant beginning with the next letter in the alphabet. 

so mango and i, being the go-getter coquettish copykittens we are, decided to start our own rendition, based off of lou's supper club. letter "a" was the first stop for the "brunch munch duo." we decided that brunch is much more affordable for us than dinner. and, c'mon, who doesn't love brunch?! i'm hoping to add maybe another muncher or two, so we can become the "brunch munch bunch" (which is much more fun to say).

this place was fantastic. the chai lattes were wonderful starters. delicious cream on top, and you know that i squealed over the sprinkles! {crunch, crunch, crunch!!!! smile. sigh...} i ordered the "gravel switch" which sounds more awful than what it was. it included: 3 griddle cakes; breakfast meat; and alfalfa fries or cheese grits. never had griddle cakes. i figured they are just basically pancakes, right? no, these were like little circular perfect mini delicious frisbees of love! i was absolutely, undoubtedly smitten with these-- even with the large chunks of peaches. i almost didn't even need to put syrup on them. but me, having the sweet tooth i have, did put on a pinch. i also tried the vegan sausage. above, you will see how this meal was making me feel, as styled in the vegan sausage pic. next, the cheese grits. oh, me loves me some cheese grits. these were a tad greas-a-licious, but i just swirled it together, gobbled it up, and voila! no more seeing greasy cheesy!

unfortunately, i was unable to indulge in the snickerdoodle i saw on the menu boards. that's my all time fave cookie. shoulda got it to go, but i was in a satisfied belly-bulged trance. thank you, alfalfa. not only are you a true giver of edible happiness, you are very fun to pronounce as well. until we meet again and again and again. darling alfalfa, is it too soon for me to say 'i love you'?