And also happy Friday!

I don’t have any plans for Halloween this year, and I’m totally okay with that. Truth be told, I don’t even like halloween that much.

Besides, I don’t ever think I could top the time I dressed up as Amy Winehouse:

Tomorrow I’m going to yoga class with Molly (yay!!) and then I’m spending time getting some hair therapy (double yay!!). Other than, I’m planning on a pretty low key weekend. I’m also super pumped because I got myself a prescription of Ambien so I’m sure I’ll spend a good bit of the weekend catching up on all the sleep I’ve been missing out on lately.

So what are everyone’s plans for the weekend? Anyone have any really great costume planned?

***Also don’t forget to enter my starbucks giveaway! Feel free to enter as many times as you’d like as long as you answer one of the proposed questions. Scoot on over here to enter, there’s still a week left to go.

Sadly it’s Sunday evening, which means Monday is just a few short hours away. In just a few short hours, I am going to begin what I like to call my “Zombie Routine”.

Because I wear scrubs to work and I shower the night before, I have the luxury of sleeping in just a tad bit longer than some of my other friends. My alarm usually goes off around 7am and I hit snooze once (okay, sometimes twice), but I’m out of bed by 7:20. Since the temperature has dropped, I’m beginning to get into hibernation mode when I grumble and groan and pretty much let everyone (my fiancé and the cats) know my resentment toward getting out of bed. After pulling on some scrubs, pulling my hair up into a pony and throwing on some makeup, I’m out the door. Luckily, I work just a short bus ride from home so I can be there in about 15 minutes unless the bus gods are against me.

Once I’m at work my morning routine is something like this: 1. Turn on & log into computer. 2. Open necessary work programs and email. 3. Log into twitter. Spend the next few minutes reading & responding to tweets. 4. Log into Facebook. Read through status updates and creep catch up with friends’ lives. 5. Check Twitter again. The exception to this rule is the days my boss is working, then I have to be on my best behaviour. No Twitter, Facebook, or reading & commenting on blogs for me! If I didn’t have my iPhone handy to fill in the void, my day would DRAG.

By this time I’ve managed to kill about 30-45 minutes of my day (unless my boss is there). I’m still not feeling totally human yet either so I know it’s time to head downstairs to Starbucks to pick up my daily dose of espresso. I’m such a regular there that all the baristas know me by name and know my order by heart. This is probably a bad thing, but I’d like to think it’s just convenient. It’s after my cup of coffee that I feel the transition from Zombie Maggie to normal Maggie is complete.

So you’re probably wondering what does this have to do with anything, particularly a Starbucks Giveaway. Well, dear readers, it just so happens that I’m partnering with Starbucks and their new Energy + Coffee Campaign to host awesome giveaway to turn you into a coffee addict bring you some cool stuff!

And the even better part is I have 5 (FIVE!) prize packages to give away!! All the lucky winners will receive:

• Stealth Switch™– The StealthSwitch™ is “The World’s first desktop cloaking device.” StealthSwitch™ uses patent pending technology to instantly and completely hide applications with a press of the footswitch. The applications are not just are not just minimized, they are made invisible.
• $5 Starbucks^® Card
• Starbucks Doubleshot® Energy+Coffee coupons
• Starbucks Doubleshot® Energy+Coffee-branded white board

So how do you enter? Simply by leaving a comment by answering one of the following questions:

• Have  you ever been busted doing something you’re not supposed to by your boss?
• If you could get away with it scotch free, what is one thing you’ve always wanted to do at the office to stir things up a bit?
• What’s the best prank you’ve ever played on a coworker/coworkers?

*Unfortunately it’s against the rules to allow extra entries by posting to twitter/other blogs, but if you still choose do to so anyway, I will love and adore you forever.

The giveaway starts today (October 25th) and ends November 8th, so enter away! I will
enlist the help of Randomizer to pick the 5 lucky winners from all entries by midnight on November 8th.

And to keep the FTC happy, I must disclose by hosting this giveaway I am entered into a contest to win a prize as well. The more entries I get, the higher the chances of me winning a prize too. So I may win a prize, you may win a prize–it’s all Win-Win, right?

Now on to the boring legal stuff:

This promotion is solely sponsored by Redletterhaze.com and has not been endorsed or approved by North American Coffee Partnership. By entering, you agree to look solely to Redletterhaze.com for any claims in connection therewith, and not the North American Coffee Partnership

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Subject to Contest guidelines. Open to U.S. residents only. Contest ends 11/08/09. Void where prohibited.

Starbucks Doubleshot^® Energy+Coffee sent me some Doubleshot Energy + Coffee and here’s what I think. All the opinions expressed here are mine.

Meet miss Freyja!

A few weeks ago, Chris & I found a lost kitten in our trash room. Well, it turned out to belong to one of our neighbors, who claimed the kitten had gotten loose without them realizing it. Chris and I were sad to see the kitten go, so it set some wheels turning in our heads. I definitely wanted another cat since Chris had basically stolen Cady from me.

About a week or so had passed and after much nagging from me, we decided to head to PAWS to see what our options were. I immediately fell for “Steph”, a 6 month old black kitten. Chris had his heart set on Sparkle, a 10 week old gray tabby. The problem with Sparkle was that she was painfully shy. She had just been brought in to the shelter, but she didn’t want to be held or petted or played with. Steph on the other hand was very outgoing and social. It was too late in the day to start the adoption process, so Chris and I went home to sleep on it. We returned the next day no closer to a decision. We decided to adopt Lara, an all gray long haired kitten who was Sparkle’s sister. We were all but ready to sign the papers and I was having an anxiety attack. Something didn’t feel right. I was literally freaking out in the adoption counseling room. I knew in my heart that Steph was the cat we were supposed to have, and finally Chris gave in. I’m sure the Adoption Counselor thought I was insane. We left with Steph in tow. The second we got her home and took her out of the cat carrier, she started purring.

After 3 days, her name was decided based on a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors (Chris didn’t want to name her Bellatrix Lestrange. Hater). I lost, so we named her Freyja (pronounced Fray-ah). It’s Nordic for “lady”–Perfect for the new little lady!

She is pretty much a purr machine and very snuggly. and TINY! She weighs about 4.5 lbs. My other kitties are tolerating her well. I wouldn’t exactly call them BFFs or anything though. She is crazy though, and loves running across the keyboard. Maybe she aspires to being a blogger too?



** I posted some updates over at the wedding blog, particularly pertaining to the attire of the wedding party. Let me know your thoughts! (I’m apologizing in advance, I have wedding on the brain and the countdown is down to 10 MONTHS)

*** Be on the lookout later in the week/weekend for a giveaway too!!

So today is Vlog Day at 20SB and I didn’t find out about it until, oh…1230 this morning. While I was climbing into bed. Awesome.

I had to make a mad dash home from work to throw something together for you all, so pardon the suckiness- this was like last last minute:

I should’ve totally included the takes that had my cat fighting with herself in the mirror. Classic.

Moving on…

Can I please just say I’m having a blast watching all of your videos? Because really, you guys are all amazing people. I love seeing what you look like and hearing your voices. I relate to the points you make. You guys are all the silly, crazy people I imagine you to be and I love that.

Next year though I definitely plan on being more prepared. Maybe I’ll do an interpretive dance for you all.

Or not. That has bad idea written all over it.

I’d like to announce the winners for the free jeans gift certificates but first a little bit on how I selected the winners:

I used Randomizer.org to pick the winners of my Gap Born to Fit Giveaway because all of your entries were awesome and it wouldn’t have been fair to pick based on that alone. Based on the order you commented, that was how you were assigned numbers. If you entered via twitter as well, I went through and assigned numbers manually to those tweets as well.  So here are the results:

So the winners are Melinda and Greg!! I’ll be emailing you guys soon to get information on getting those gift certificates to you. Here’s the entries they posted:

Congrats to you both and thank you everyone who entered. Your entries were great! And an extra special thanks again to Brand About Town and The Gap, without them this giveaway wouldn’t have been possible.

So, what are your thoughts on a Nintendo DS  for my next giveaway??

When I was chosen to be a Gap Brand Enthusiast I was more than excited. One of the perks of being selected was getting to host my very own party with my closest gal pals to try Gap’s latest line of jeans, Born to Fit.

Confession: I was a little stressed out about being a good hostess and having enough space for everyone. I had my new couch delivered in just enough time and about 10 or so of my gal pals showed up for the festivities. I prepared a caesar salad and stuffed shells for the occasion, and my guests were kind enough to bring desserts and wine for everyone to share.

The evening went off fabulously with great food, drink, conversation and a blast trying on the jeans. Everyone seemed to enjoy trying on the three different styles, modeling and asking opinions. Even my cat hung out with us, not wanting to miss out on the fun.

More photos here.

Everyone was really excited to take home a pair of jeans & those that wanted a size or style that were unavailable they were able to take a gift certificate home, complete with adorable canvas bag. Thanks to Brand About Town and Gap for letting me and my friends get to have an awesome time, and some free jeans to boot!

Now for my first ever Giveaway:

I have two gift certificates to giveaway so my readers are able to get a free pair of gap jeans, complete with a tote bag that my guests also received.

Here’s how to enter:

• Leave me a comment telling me about your favorite/worst pair of jeans you’ve ever owned & why.
• you can get an extra entry by tweeting about this giveaway using the hashtag #gapborntofit and then leaving a link to your profile in the comments.

These gift certificates are redeemable in stores only, but they are good for any pair of jeans (so guys, don’t be afraid to also enter!)

Giveaway closes on August 16th, so get your entries in before 11:59pm CST!! Winners will be announced shortly after.

Side note: I have a pair of size 2 in each style (Always Skinny, Sexy Boot, and Real Straight). If you’d like to take these off my hands email me at maggie {at} redletterhaze (dot) com.

A few weeks back I posted about some questions on my mind. I feel like I have had some of those questions answered, and now I’m wondering about entirely new things.

Why are there so many pregnant ladies all of the sudden? Today I counted 11 within a block radius of Panera. -2 possible explanations: Obama babies. Or there’s nothing else better to do when its -17 outside.

When is Chicago weather going to find a happy medium? -As long as I can still wear a light cardigan, who cares.

Why do I lack complete motivation for working out when I know I need to? (gotta drop those Lbs before the wedding) -my trainer can be as lazy as me. And clearly I enjoy wasting money.

Why is it so hard to write a damn bio? It’s not like I’m being asked to write a bio on a complete stranger. -Jury’s still out on this one…

How can I kick my addiction to starbucks?-discovering I had spent $55 in 8 days was a wake-up call. I need rehab or something.

Does my (future) mother in law know about my blog? Is it okay to write about her?-the general consensus is don’t do it.

Why am I too chicken to ask my friend to be my bridesmaid?-I toughened up and asked and she accepted!

What should I bring to Allie’s book club/BBQ tomorrow?-I brought hotdogs and cheese curls. perfect BBQ combo

Is it wrong to want to give my cat a lion haircut? (She sheds A LOT)-Allie and I will be doing this sooner or later.

Am I turning into a bridezilla?-probably not. At least not bad enough to smash a cake or make my future mother in law clean my dress with her own toothbrush.

Am I choosing the right thing by wanting to move home? -I still don’t know, but as Akirah says “home is where the heart is”.

And my whole new list of questions I’m asking myself:

How am I gonna cram about 15 girls in here for my Gap Born to Fit party?

How come I didn’t end up with someone who was a neat freak?

What am I going to wear to BlogHer?!

Why am I addicted to shows about pregnancy, such as 16 and Pregnant, and I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant? (especially when I don’t even really like babies?)

How many times is too many to see the Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince?

Why does this keyboard want to add an extra “.” every time I use it?

How can I convince Chris to get me a new couch, like ASAP?

Why is laundry a neverending chore? Perhaps those nudists are on to something…

Why is it pretty much impossible to cook for only 2 people?

What should I put on a mix CD for my Gap party?

How excited am I for my trip home in a little over a month? (I can answer that right now: VERY EXCITED)

Gap Brand Enthusiast, baby!!!!

(okay I lied, that was four)

I’ll post more details soon but I’m so excited! I could seriously kiss Justine if I saw her right now.

I came home to a box of goodies, and my cat eyeing it greedily. I was practically squealing with delight as I opened it. Being the dork that I am, I took pictures of the big unveiling. I won’t ruin the surprise for the other gap brand enthusiasts if they haven’t received their packages yet.

Well..except for one..I’m too excited to keep it a secret:

Um yes, I CANNOT wait to wear it!!! Thanks again to Brand About Town for choosing me!