Day 53: Friday’s Top Five

I’m going to attempt to do something new.  Every Friday I’m going to post up my top 5 loves of the week.  Could be anything…from this, that or hockey.  Here are my top 5 loves for this week.

1.  FABFATALE.COM.  My favorite blog I love to stalk (The Looks For Less) has released a sister site called Fab Fatale (where I borrowed her Friday Fab 5 idea).  Like always…the site is always very colorful and it’s filled with very important information.  Unlike The Looks for Less, Fab Fatale is not just a fashion site.  It’s everything from cooking to do-it-yourself projects (DIY). 

I really like how she’s introduced me to more beautiful sites where I can learn a whole lot more about the things I love to do from other bloggers out there.  It’s also inspiring to pick up a few ideas for your own home, life and the people around you.  Check out the site.  Her ‘white’ post has been sparking more ideas for my office.

2.  Missoni For Target.  After that big mess back in September when Target.com went down shortly after the Missoni for Target collection was released and then the collection wildly showing up on Ebay for 2x+ the cost shortly thereafter…I decided to wait a bit.  I didn’t want to go batty like everyone else did (okay…I was mad there was nothing left).  So I waited until Target.com came back up to take a look at the inventory.

There were a few scraps here and there.  But the one thing I was looking for just so happened to be one of the only things that was still available.  I didn’t want to purchase the ottoman I saw in House Beautiful right then and there, because it would arrive while I was out of the country.  I said to myself, “If it’s still available when I get back, I’m going to order it because it was just meant to be.”

Luckily, I came back and the only thing I wanted from the Missoni for Target collection was still available.  I got it for $102 after taxes (I got $5 off from one of the corporate programs I’m a member of…shipping was FREE).  It arrived just 5 business days later.  I opened it up, put it in my office and it looks BEAUTIFUL.  It’s more beautiful than the picture. 

The cat has claimed it as HERS, because she believes the second bedroom (aka my office) is her room.  She looks like royalty sitting up on top of this ottoman. 

I loved it so much, I plan on buying the blue version for my bedroom.  It was well worth the wait and the investment.  The piece makes me really happy.  I’m so glad I was able to get the only thing I had been lusting after from the collection.

I decided that I’m going to buy the pieces I love for my home and ship it to Morocco when it comes time to move.  It’s cheaper to ship it to Morocco (by boat) than to buy all new furniture there.  My future husband would have to shop without me, because they like to mark up the price to no end when they see an American!  [I mean, how do you explain to your husband you spent $7,000 USD on a desk?]

3. The Alchemist. I’m re-reading “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho.  The book was very inspiring for me back in 2007, but re-reading it now, it has a different meaning to me.  It’s a way for me to look back on everything that’s happened over the last four years and to see where I am now in my life. 

In a way, it’s like saying…your personal legend is entering its new phase.  It just reassures me that I’m making the right decision by following my heart.

4.  Christmas Shopping.  So…I started Christmas shopping already.  This is my last Christmas.  I’ve already invited my brother to come out to NYC this Christmas because it may be one of the last times we’ll see each other in a long time.  My brother is very supportive of my Moroccan decision.  Hell, all my friends that have known me for years are very happy because as my best friend Sabrina says…she’s never heard me talk about someone like this before.  She’s so happy that I’ve finally found someone this special.

Knowing all of this…my brother realizes that if this is going to be our last Christmas together before I adopt a new religion and culture, we should go out in style.

I’ve already started buying gifts for friends.  Today’s Buried Bauble was a perfect gift for my young friend and colleague.  She’ll love it because she loves this kind of stuff.  The DIY vanilla extract has me shopping for various bottles and jars at Sur La Table and Crate & Barrel. 

I may be buying some decorative jars and canning some of my corn relish to give out as gifts this year.  It’s one of the summer staples that I love to eat all year long (Food & Wine has the best recipe by far).  It’s also great to use in making cornbread.  [For those who decide to make the corn relish, don’t use sugar.  I use honey as a substitute.  It tastes so much better and it’s also healthier for you.]

I still have no clue what to get my brother beyond a $500 Target gift card (he just bought a new house recently and could use some home items in his new place).  I’m hoping I figure out what else to get him before Christmas. 

As far as decorating…this is going to be my first and last Christmas tree.  I plan on going all white and using silver and blue ornaments.  Afterwards, I’ll donate the ornaments to some friend or charity.  Hopefully, they’ll be able to put it to use.

Speaking of charity…the Toys for Tots kids are getting Rockstar Mickey for Christmas.  Blame Constantine Maroulis for that one!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDOfaZmiobc&feature=related] [Review from Mom on this next video:  We got our Rock Star Mickey 4 days after it hit the stores for my sons 3rd birthday. It was only $49 at Toys R Us as a promo for the first 2 weeks. Now it costs $55. He is obsessed with the toy. When we go to Toys R Us or Target, he still wants to watch the display demo over and over even though he owns one now. He has so much fun dancing with it, does the splits in the middle of the store and gets lots of attention from on looking shoppers. We weren’t sure if my son would still play with Rock Star Mickey once we brought it home but he plays with for hours on end by himself. Its actually helps my toddler exercise! So I give this toy props for occupying my son. It plays 2 songs and has a ‘rock star training’ mode where it explains the dance moves. I give this toy a 5 star rating. Good quality, entertainment, construction, and robotics. Rock Star Mickey is a kind of loud, and there is no volume control. By the way, Mickey does not play the guitar with his nose. It says he does on the box, but he really just lifts the guitar in the air. I wish it had more songs and dance moves like Dance Star Mickey, but he is also $20 less than Dance Star Mickey was, so it’s worth it.]