Take Your Mind Off

These are a few of my very favorite pictures. I've been saving them for a special occasion. And right now, I would be hard pressed to think of a more fitting time.

I have been in love with this front door for years. I almost built an entire house around it... Sometimes I wish I would have. 

Once you open that stunning door, your eyes would feast upon this hall. (In my mind... I have never had the actual pleasure of walking through that front door in real life... Although I've come close to asking.)

And this would be my breath taking Laundry room.... Seriously, I don't think I have ever seen a laundry room more stunning than this one. That floor makes my heart beat just a little faster...

Happy Thanksgiving

 Have a seat while I tell you something groundbreaking.

Groundbreaking for me, not you.



The last couple of years, I have been feeling less than tip top...

I almost feel like someone has been playing a mean joke,

 And my poor body has been the brunt of it.

 I couldn't go to the doctor, because I could never really pinpoint what was going on, 

I just knew I've felt better.

Until one fine day, (Oct 30 to be exact) a dear friend sent me an email with a list of Celiacs symptoms... 

And suddenly it felt as though the heavens had opened unto me;

And screamed, "You are Allgergic to gluten, silly girl!!!" 

Talk about a light bulb going off... 

So I threw myself into a gluten free lifestyle, Just like

that...

 

And apart from a minor slip up in New York City (Pizza, you were almost worth it.)

 

I haven't looked back.



It is going to be a long haul.  

But in the end...So worth it.

Did I Mention We're Moving?

I didn't? Oh, that's because we are not. But if this little stunner were for sale you can bet your sweet britches we would be!

Mates of State

Once upon a time there was a young girl who loved music more than anything in the world. I would dare say, she may have lived for it even. Every Friday and/or Saturday night she would go to local shows and disappear into the world of music. In her mind, she was the only one there. Just her and the music. Everything else, everyone else, just sort of went away... And she loved it. 

When she became a mother, her passion for music stayed with her but her desire for attending live shows lessened as her responsibilities shifted. Of course, to this day, she still gets weak in the knees when she is introduced to a good band...And she'll never turn down an opportunity to be alone with her music, whether that be in her car, on a walk or just cleaning the house...On very rare occasion, she will still escape to a live show to find that place where a piece of her heart still lies.

Of course, she has to be very picky now that shows are few and far between...When she heard Mates of State announce their tour, she was in. 

This is why:
 

Wow! These guys put on such a great show. No, it doesn't have anything to do with Adrien Brody.(Not really him.) It may have something to do with the fact that these guys have been married for over ten years and have two darling little girls that tour with them... I love the way they look at each other. They are passionate about their songs, the words and each other. I could see the way she would look at him and watch him while he was doing his thing, and they would smile at each other... They were having fun. And because of that, we all had fun. 

BONUS: I was with one of my dearest friends, kimberly...The night couldn't have been more spot on.

 

Have You Ever Been in Love?

With a piece of furniture?... 

For me it was love at first sight.

The chesterfield sofa looks amazingly appropriate in any setting, due to its beautiful lines and classic style. Did you know it also lays valid claim to royalty-being?

I have been in the market for one of these beauties since I was old enough to appreciate furniture... The problem is they are difficult to find, rarely sold in the US and never affordable.

 

 

"you know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams"

dr. seuss

It's a Start

Dove has recently launched a natural beauty campaign where they tackle issues of what unfeigned beauty truly is, or at least, what it should be. They are bringing real world issues into focus for young girls and even grown women, who may struggle with self esteem or issues of trying to look like what the media tells them is perfect, or thinking their life is a sorry plight because they don't meet a certain weight or look criteria.

Before I go on: Let me go on record...I am not a fan of Dove. I am fully aware they also own the ridiculous product "Axe", whose ads say "Use our stinky, cheap, body spray and you will become 'the cock of the walk', (as they say) and be able to attract the hot women of the world." A tad hypocritical...

However: Putting aside the fact that I feel this particular company is perhaps a bit fraudulent, I have to give props to them for funding these ads, for I think if the young and older girls see some of these, it may make a difference on how they look at themselves.


My wake up call: I must have been a sophomore in high school, I was watching Cindy Crawford on David Letterman. She brought out a a cover of herself on Vogue Magazine. She was beautiful. I thought how lucky she was to be so perfect. But then, she brought out the before version of that same picture... And she showed all that went on in that photo before it was "finished". Her arms and waist had been airbrushed to be half the size they really were, her teeth were whitened, the blemishes on her face were erased... and get ready... so was the cellulite on her thighs. GASP!
 

The brilliance: The Dove "short stories" do hit home as these issues are real. Our girls are being bombarded by a world of feeling like they need to be physically perfect, or they are not going to be popular, successful or even in some cases, loved. I know this sounds extreme, and not all girls will go through that... But even if one friend, daughter or sister does, then that is one too many. 

Show them these ads: Let them *SEE* what reality is.

Thank you Nordstrom.  

Today I was driving my mother's car for a quick trip to the market... Normally I like to drive my own car, because the thing about driving for me is the pleasure of listening to my music... However, my car was blocked in and I had no other choice. When I turned her car on, instead of the easy listening I expected to hear, I was the unfortunate victim of Christmas music. I thought, "You gotta be kidding me!" UGH!!! I'm just not ready for Christmas music until Christmas Eve at the earliest, I would prefer Christmas day, but I am flexible on that. And even then, I only find The Muppet's and Elvis's Christmas acceptable. 

Some years I can handle it better than others... this year isn't one of them.

Bret and Jemaine 

and Murray (and Mel and Dave).

Possibly my favorite characters.

Just Run With It

In my own home, I have stairs made of wood. I think they are stunning.  A bit dangerous perhaps, but stunning nonetheless.

Side Note:

When I was designing the lay out of the physical structure of this home, I was so inspired by the homes on the East Coast, loving the brownstones where you walk in and are greeted with a steep staircase and a long hall.... and that's it. If you want to see the rest of the living quarters, you need to be invited into the home...Otherwise, the rest of the layout will remain a mystery forever. 

I digress, the point of this post is to discuss what to do with my staircase. I had it done in solid wood with a custom designed hand forged railing. My point in telling you this, is so you get the idea that it's suppose to be the show stopper of the entry... And like I said before, beautiful.  Did I consider my sweet children when deciding on bare wood? I sheepishly admit, I did not. Now, every time I hear them running down the stairs, I clinch my jaw and hold my breath, waiting for their safe descent.  I have given them each a private tutorial on how to make their way safely down... No running, no jumping, walk steadily and calmly while holding onto the handrail. 

But I remember when I was a small girl, I fell down the stairs every other day...  At one point my big brother gave me my own personal tutorial on how to safely descend the stairs without cracking my head open as I had done in previous attempts.  I think it lasted for about a month then I was running and jumping and falling all over again. (Keep in mind I am more that your average klutz.)

So I have decided to help cushion the fall if it happens, now I am faced with what to cover them in... And when I say "cover them" I mean provide a a runner for them. I am not a fan of carpet, so this has been a real thinker for me.  Here are some ideas...

  

All of these are so beautiful in there own respected environment. I am of course, leaning toward the geometric black and white carpet... The only problem I have now is affording four hundred dollars a yard.