Gorgeous..

Photo by Phillip Riches

Made you laugh

image via We Heart It

I hope that when I grow old I can be like these two. In love, happy, and silly. I'm not really the "silly" type but I see myself becoming more childlike (in some ways) as I get older. So maybe silly will come too.

Claude Levi-Strauss

"Claude Lévi-Strauss, the French anthropologist who transformed Western understanding of what was once called “primitive man” and who towered over the French intellectual scene in the 1960s and ’70s, has died at 100." - NY Times

Read about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/world/europe/04levistrauss.html

As an Anthropology minor I spent many, many, many hours reading Anthropology articles, text, and literature. If this was another time and place I might engage in some witty banter about it but it's not, and you're lucky ;)

Levi-Strauss was always fascinating to me. Reading his words 50 years after they were penned was still exciting, mystifying and intriguing.

I recommend reading his work, if you haven't before. I warn you though - it's not "light reading." It's dense but rewarding when you get down to it. DO IT!

Good Times.

Image via We Heart It

Yesterday was a fabulous day. That kind of blows my mind since 1) it was a Monday and 2) work has been beyond hectic and 3) I didn't have any coffee! Yet still, it was a wonderful day! Want to know what the difference was? Here's what I think it was:

• I wasn't sidetracked by any unforeseen interruptions (colleagues, phone calls, meetings etc.)
• I got to speak with my very best friend by IM. We've been playing phone tag for a week.
• While speaking with aforementioned bff I realized how we are still so much alike, even though we live in different states. I don't just mean in terms of the usual likes/dislikes etc. Life has been full of changes since college and I think that both of our lives definitely reflect that. We discussed some of our current stumbling blocks and it was soothing to my soul. We found out that we're not alone! We're at the same place in our lives, which again, was oddly soothing.
• I emailed with an ex. It was good to chat with him. We tend to keep in touch every few months. He made me laugh and I hope I could do the same for him. His life is a bit topsy-turvy these days.
• I was able to take my time to get through an intensive (and incredibly boring) task

Hilarious

This little ditty made me laugh out loud. Not sure I should admit that but what do I care? lol



PS- I know I've been MIA for an extreme amount of time. I promise to post more soon.

John Hughes.

I was just catching up on some blog reading and I was urged to read this post:

http://wellknowwhenwegetthere.blogspot.com/2009/08/sincerely-john-hughes.html

Wow! I'm always amazed to hear about all these great relationships and life experiences. This one is so very amazing that it seems like a movie in and of itself. Please read it. :)

Baubles Galore

Yesterday I received an e-mail from J.Crew. I shouldn't have opened it... it was pure torture as always! I believe this particular condition is known as too pretty, too pricey.

The items are all so beautiful but I don't have the money to buy them!! My favorite? The second picture - the tiered crystal necklace. The teardrop necklace is a very close 2nd. Swoon!

Living Room Love

No, not my living room. Lately I've been really annoyed by my apartment. My main annoyance is our living room space. We have a combined living room/dining room. Unfortunately B was very insistent on having his desk (a giant, wood lament piece that he proudly bought at Staples) in the living area. We each have a laptop so there is no need for such a massive piece of furniture. However, I digress. I dream of the day when our small space will be warm, streamlined and inviting. I'm in the process of making some small updates which include new artwork, pictures and hopefully a new slipcover for the couch. In the meantime my inspiration folder keeps growing. I just came across this picture:

Beautiful!!! I can't stop staring at this. This photograph is from Kishani Perera's portfolio.

Another favorite is this Candice Olsen design, as shown on HGTV's Divine Design.

This photo is actually from a basement makeover but I love the mix of hard and soft elements. I love the mirrored surfaces, nailhead trim and chic banquette.

(He's) Leaving on a Jetplane

Sigh. I found out yesterday that the boy will be leaving soon for 6 months of training. Bummer. We expected training to be in February, not September. Also, we expected it to be local and not across the country. It looks like most of fall, as well as all of winter and spring will be spent alone. I'm taking my time with this one, trying not to freak out. This isn't the first time we've spent apart but it still hurts.

For now I'm trying to take it day by day and find some time for us to be alone before he leaves. With a crazy and often unpredictable work schedule this is no easy task.

Image via fffound, and flickr

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!




How yummy do these look? If I’m lucky maybe I can snag some of the above at the BBQ today!

But cupcakes or no cupcakes the best part are always the fireworks! They are calling for rain tonight so I’m hoping the firework viewing will still be clear.

Photos from Country Living Magazine, me and Kristin of Meringe Bake Shop

Cozy Candles

OK, so the candles themselves aren't cozy. I love the vibe a room gets from the flicker of a candle. One candle, five candles, fifty candles... they are all fabulous. Today I'm loving this photo:

All those candles make the room seem so cozy! It makes me want to sit and stay a while. I've decided that I want tons and tons of candles at my wedding reception. No idea when or where it will be as that is the one and only decision I've made so far. (On that note-- if you know of a pretty bit of land in DC/MD I can use, for little $, I will be eternally grateful!)

I found this dining room picture on another blog but there was no photo credit. If you know who or where it was from originally please let me know. I hate not giving credit where it's due. Thanks!

I See Zig-Zags

The Internet is a wonderful thing. A few days ago I entered a giveaway on one of my favorite blogs, Elements of Style, and lo and behold - I won!!

I am the proud owner of not one but two new Twinkle zig-zag pillows from All Modern! Hooray!! I am one of those people that never seems to win anything. But I suppose I can't say that anymore since I did win! I live in a bland rental unit with many of the lovely (read: old, falling apart) original details from the 70's and some updates from the 80's (scratched wood parquet floors anyone?).

I have been wanting some new throw pillows for the living room lately to help brighten the room up. I hadn't found any in my price range which wasn't a complete surprise. Unfortunately with only one income right now we're in super saver mode right now. Thanks to Erin and the lovely folks at Modern Living I now have some great new pillows for free. Yes! Thank you!!

Happy Monday everyone. I wish you all some great luck!

Hello Vera!

Swoon! I've admired these cute little Kate Spade shoes for quite a while now. Practicality got the best of me and I never ordered them. I re-found them earlier this week but I was still on the fence. It was then that I had the bright idea to ask the boy. His response?

"No. I don't like them. It looks like someone pulled a bow off a gift and stuck it on the front."

haha. Love the honesty but it wasn't the response I wanted to hear. However, I took his comments to heart and waited.... another two days. Finally this morning I gave in. I am happy to report that I will soon receive some awesome new shoes:


While I used to live in flip-flops all summer long I've realized that I have done major damage to my feet. I've carefully been considering my summer shoe options. I want something for weekends that will be fun and summery without being frumpy, uncomfortable or a sneaker. (I already have several pairs of driving shoes/loafers or whatever you choose to call them.) Don't worry I will still wear flip-flops but their use will be limited. I think these shoes will work nicely with chino shorts or cropped pants. Wish me luck!

4th and Bleeker

Found out about an awesome new blog today: 4thandbleeker




How gorgeous is this girl? And it's official, we could be best friends because the first post I've ever read is about russell hammond, penny lane and it's all happening. love love love.

Domino Numero Dos

I found out about this from the lovely Joanna...

Domino sale. This weekend. Hamptons area.

Saturday, June 13th, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 75 Main Street, Amagansett (on Rt 27, across from La Fondita); cash only; haggling welcome.

Ugh. Another thing I miss! If you are in the area please stop by and let me know how it goes. Super bonus too.... the local shopping, beaches and food are all fabulous! So even if you leave the sale empty handed it will still make for a great day!

photo by the awesome Martin Rusch

Real Living

Today I'm absolutely loving Real Living magazine. I tried to get a subscription today but after finding the cost for US delivery I think that will have to wait. However, my future brother-in-law is an Aussie so I'm hoping he can pick one up when he is back home on business. Fingers crossed!

Anyway... how did I get on this rant about Real Living? Featured in the current issue is Michelle's (of the blog M.A. Belle and the company Rubie Green) awesome apartment. Check out one of the gorgeous pictures:

My apologies but for some reason I couldn't get more pictures to show up. Visit Michelle's blog and Real Living for more pictures!

photo from Real Living

My So Called Life

Way back when I LOVED the show My So Called Life. It was an amazing and real show. But the one thing I remember and loved the most were the quotes. The dialogue was fantastic. Kudos to the writers for capturing all the angst, confusion, awe, fun, puppy love and ambivalence of being a teenager.

One of my all time favorite quotes is: "Sometimes it seems like we're all living in some kind of prison. And the crime is how much we hate ourselves. It's good to get really dressed up once in a while. And admit the truth: that when you really look closely? People are so strange and so complicated that they're actually... beautiful. Possibly even me."

So what made me think of the show? A great blog post on Hello Lolla. Please go visit her site and scroll down to the My So Called Life post. I couldn't link directly to the post but it's great.

Rain Rain

Tonight the skies opened up and it rained as I was on my way to my first softball game. I've never played the game. 2 years ago I hadn't ever watched one. Now, I've decided to give in to some colleagues and play on the office team. What have I gotten myself into? Anyway... tonight the skies opened up and I checked with the ballfield rain-out number for the umpteen time. At 5pm they updated the message -- all games cancelled! I turned back around, as I was en-route at the time, and went home. It was drizzling when I arrive home but nothing too major. I had enough time to make it through the lobby and into my apartment when it started to downpour. It hardly ever rains like that here so it was quite a sight to see. The weather phenom was complete with crazy wind and rain blowing sideways. Eeeks!

On the up side... I have more time before I have to face the softball field. I'm so nervous!

photo via ffffound

Beautiful Weekend

Hope you all had a lovely, long weekend! My weekend was incredibly long since I took a few extra days off. It was great but as I'm sure you can relate it is never enough. On the up side, I got to spend some time back home. Loveeeeeeeeeeeeee it:

Karl Lagerfeld

Fashion icon and the Man of Style himself. Read his musings... http://twitter.com/karl_lagerfeld

Photo courtesy of Francois Lafite (http://www.flickr.com/photos/francois_lafite/2514957076/)