CHOCOLATE: THE BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

"Put 'eat chocolate' at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done"
~Author unknown~
Why you ask, is that crumpled little bag on Blondie's post? Well you will soon say that it represents both the good and bad in my life lately. I think many of you gals will identify with this story. I promise not to be as long winded as I usually am (well I'll make a valiant effort anyway).
Blondie and The husband have a wedding on Saturday. The groom is a new attorney in The Husband's office. Actually, there are many new attorney's in his office now as well as clerks, etc. that I have yet to meet (he has expanded his staff just recently). This wedding is to take place at some museum of sorts downtown ( the bride's family must have connections). Somehow we did not receive the invitation in the mail so my husband has left the invite he was given at the office so I don't have any further information to share on the location of said wedding. But knowing that this will be a very glamorous affair, I instinctively knew I just had to have a new dress!
So yesterday myself and my bad back went out on a search for the perfect dress. And it turned into a nightmare. First let me ask you this: Have we all not been on a sweet frenzy since Thanksgiving? That is when we started loading up on all the desserts that then made their comeback on Christmas. Along came Valentines day and all the pretty boxes filled with truffles and pecan clusters, heart shaped cakes and cookies, candy dishes filled with sweet pastel hearts and mints. Now Easter looms ahead with the beautiful chocolate eggs and big chocolate bunnies (and I'm not talking about the hollow ones, goodness noooo). We have the bunny and lamb shaped cakes with lots of coconut (ooooh, yum) and my favorite, marshmallow peeps (they're soooo cute). So okay, after Easter there will be no other holidays that revolve around sweets, am I right? Summer will come and we will be feasting on all that fresh fruit and getting our daily exersize in by working and playing outdoors.
So onward, Blondie!! Me and the bad back headed for Macy's. There I happily picked out several beautiful fancy dresses and headed for the fitting rooms. I began to try on my most favorite of the bunch and low and behold, once it was over my head it wouldn't go any further. What, you ask is in the way? Well, er...my boobs! My puppies. My babies... I don't know what everyone is calling them now but there I was trying to get that darn dress over them and it wasn't happening!
Now I know I have gained a little weight from the aforementioned sweet frenzy that I admit I gleefully participated in (Hey, if everyone else is doing it..."). Yeah, I knew my brassieres were a little tight (well, very tight) but I didn't seem to have any problem pulling my everyday attire over my head (baggy sweatshirts, sweaters, and jammies mostly).
So I proceeded to try on every dress I had in the fitting room, sometimes actually stepping in to them, and I soon realized my hips had also somehow gotten a little wider! And of course I was not oblivious to what I saw in that 3~way mirror under those harsh florescent lights (gulp). So I headed back out to the floor and picked out the dresses in the next size up. Nope, no deal. Now I was having a difficult time trying to find my "new" size. Don't you hate it when you are riffling through those racks and it is all size 2 and 4's? My gosh, does Susan Lucci shop here?
Well anyway, I had to have a dress, it being just 4 days away from above mentioned wedding. I narrowed my search down to two dresses.
Below you will find the first one.

You can't tell in the picture that it is a wrap dress with a low neckline. Next you will see a close up of the colors and pattern:

Now I thought I could really jazz this dress up with a pair of matching blue pumps and clutch purse. Maybe a little chunky jewelry. What do you think?

The next dress is a totally different look:

This would be your little black dress for cold Chicago winters. Classic and elegant.

This picture turned out horrible but believe me, it is black. Note the little sparky thingy on the empire type.gathering that sits just below my puppies, er... boobs, I mean breasts. Now this I would probably wear with classic black pumps, maybe pearls or diamonds and a simple black clutch. May I add that Emily said this dress looks like something I would wear to a funeral. So, what do you think of this one?

The problem is, gasp, I'm not a very social person. I mean that sincerely. I try to duck out of many invitations and when I go out to shop for clothes, groceries, books or even thrift shopping, I prefer to do it alone. Face it, I'm a true homebody. I prefer to stay in my jammies all day long cleaning the house, doing the laundry and cooking and then curling up in the evening with a good book or magazine. I like comfort! For those times when I have to face the music and head out, I throw on a pair of sweats, put my hair in a decent ponytail, apply a little lip gloss and off I go. Reluctantly. The other day I was folding my laundry and I realized that 80% of it is pajamas. That is not a good thing.

Abby recently said to me, "You've let yourself go Mom". That was a jaw dropper. Am I no longer an example to my daughters. to neighbors dropping in? The mail lady? Yes, I know my jammies are nice and loose and comfy, but they are also not very revealing to the fact that I have er... packed on a few pounds!

Now I am miserable. Gone are the days of shopping for clothes and picking out anything that strikes my fancy. I have to search for the right combination of something that hides my jiggly upper arms, my somewhat wider hips and these creepy little bumps on my thighs. Where did they come from? Why hadn't I noticed them before? Maybe it is because when I look down I can't see below my puppies, well, err...you get the message.

So in conclusion, I am seriously going to go off the chocolate... cold turkey. And after I have gotten back to my old self I will go shopping again . But I know in my heart I will come home with a few bags of new jammies. I can't give up all of my vices, can I?

xoxo

Janie