soak it up

 

it's a cold and rainy day here; it was very hard to pry myself out of bed.  but hey, it's friday right??  seems like a perfect night to relax at home and snuggle with roxy...maybe finally work on those buttons i thought i would do last weekend. hopefully tomorrow will bring some sunshine for the endless errands i have to run, and then an evening catching up with a lovely friend (complete with delicious wine and food, of course!).

in the mean time

these aprons are beyond cute and make me wish i did more baking!

these are the perfect chairs, so fun and beautiful

valentine's day is coming up, do you need any adorable cards? (one with a bicycle!)

loving the decade-driven styles from urban and anthro

can't get enough of the beach house album (thanks to alice's awesome musical taste)

what a fun typography tattoo  

elizabeth made some gorgeous dresses, then told us how to do it!

*photo from our snow day (i wish it were snowing today)

oh, and does anyone watch project runway? is it me, or did that team challenge bring out the absolute WORST in everyone?! i mean the designs were fine, but they (all) were really not nice working together. that said, i'm glad that ping was cut, but i really thought emilio & anna's designs were tops. 

enjoy your weekend, soak it up!!

xoxo

strange overtones

i cannot get enough of this song.

stephen likes to play it when he drops me off at work in the morning, it makes my day that much better. just wanted to share that with you :) i don't think this is an official video, but it seems to go well with the song. i love david byrne, he is such an amazing artist.

i can tell that we are gonna be friends

remember when i went to tulsa and hung out with the chickens? well here are some of the film shots of roxy getting to know them.  rox can be really skiddish when it comes to meeting new animals, so i was really surprised that she wasn't scared to approach the pen.  it was also funny that the chickens were so calm around her; they didn't peck or crow at her, just made it up to the fence and checked out the scene.

 

and i'm kind of loving the contrast in colors on this chicken...who knew they could be so fashionable?

truthful tuesday

in light of this being a semi-new blog with mostly new readers, i thought i'd do a little feature every week getting to know me...and in turn, getting to know you! so is born, "truthful tuesday." let's start with a little confession...

yesterday, while thinking about going to the gym and what was for dinner (these go hand in hand, right?) i thought, "oh it's monday! gossip girl will be on tonight!" so i looked up online whether it would be on and if it was a new episode...not only was gg NOT on last night, i found out that it doesn't start back until march...MARCH! i had a minor freak out. is this normal for a twentysomething married career woman? probably not, but oh well. so i got home from work and told stephen about this outrageous discovery...to which he said "what? march? really?!" and there you have it. not only am i a sucker for gossip girl, but my husband watches it with me...and enjoys it (sorry love, i just ratted you out).

so what about you? do you have any guilty tv pleasures?

(photo)

victory

what a game. what a night. i couldn't be more proud...way to go saints, you made history last night!

i can't wait to see what happens at the superbowl! who dat!

photo from the times picayune.

happy friday!

it's a beautiful day in dallas, though i'm having a little love/hate relationship with the weather.  i mean, it is still january and today is 70 degrees and sunny. should winter be over already? i haven't worn all my cute scarves and hats! (wait, isn't that what winter's all about?) apparently i'm not the only one who feels this way...what do you think? or is the weather just perfect for you where you are?

what are you up to this weekend? tonight will consist of laundry, cooking, wine, movies and cuddling with roxy. stephen works on fridays so it's my "me time" night. tomorrow will be a nice evening with the girls, trying out a new restaurant...great company and (hopefully) great food? i'm in! sunday my saints play again for the NFC championship...getting nervous.

i'm also hoping to update this blog a little bit...i need something a little more cute and appealing on here, no? loving these little buttons from country girl. if i can learn how to use these, they would be perfect. wish me luck.

happy happy weekend, everyone!

xoxo

photo from the selby

party for a princess

while i was visiting my family for christmas, we celebrated my neice kaitlin's birthday.  it was princess themed, of course!

complete with a princess cupcake tower and the little princess herself:

and here is my younger niece, madison...a princess in her own right :)

gotta love those cupcakes!

we even played pretty, pretty princess - kate won, naturally. my nieces give roxy a run for her money as my favorite photo subjects!

you are my sunshine

roxy in the shadow of the glaring sun; taken during thanksgiving in tulsa. finally got a few rolls of film developed and this had to be one of my favorites, but there are many to share so stay tuned!

i'm also working on learning how to use my new diana+ camera so expect to have some fun new photographs from my self-teaching adventures. this is my first time to shoot with a lomography camera and i'm very excited! there are so many amazing images around from these cameras and hope i can do it justice :)  roxy is usually my model so she'd better get used to some more posing, i've got lots of practicing to do!

xo

ps. did you know that "you are my sunshine" is the louisiana state song? pretty fun, huh!

back in the saddle again

good morning! well, today i say goodbye to chaos and uncertainty. stephen starts back at school, and this means that i will have structure. a schedule. order. i'm sad to see our "free time" go, but who am i kidding? i need more organization in my life. we had a lovely long weekend filled with friends, football and a new little addition i'll tell you more about later (and hello, my saints won!!). we even got to go see a movie, youth in revolt, which was incredibly smart and funny.

did you enjoy your weekend?? watch the golden globes? i thought anna paquin looked absolutely stunning, my favorite dress of the night. 

so let's dive into this week! have a fabulous day!

xoxo

ps. a drool-worthy shoe post at oh joy!

photo from weheartit.

who dat?

here's a little something you may not know if you don't "know" me: i was born and raised in southern louisiana which makes me a certified coonass and tried and true new orleans saints fan. now, i don't claim to know a lot about sports, but one thing i knew growing up was that you don't have to have the best team to have the best time. heck, in my childhood i knew the saints as "the aints" since they could hardly ever win a game (and anyone who says no fan would ever call their team that didn't grow up there. fans, TRUE FANS, brought paper bags to games to put over their heads if/when they started losing...hey, you gotta have fun with it, right?). here we are, 43 years into the franchise and we finally have something to cheer about! so tomorrow, i'm putting on my drew brees jersey, marching down to the bar and cheering on my saints right here in the middle of cowboy country.

so, in the spirit of the saints, i wanted to share these images and a story sent from my dad:

 

these structures are built for bonfires performed every year to light the way for pere noel at christmas.  here is the email from my dad's friend:

Bonfires have been traditionally built since the 1800's to welcome Papa Noel (or Pere Noel) to the River parishes. They light his way like runway lights at an airport.

Usually 100+ bonfires are built on both sides of the river. It's quite a site to see when burning. Usually they burn them Christmas eve and also New years eve. It's a cool tradition for the folks living near the levee.

In general they are allowed to start building Thanksgiving weekend. They stake out their location on the levee and haul in wood, etc. Some are quite innovative from a visual standpoint. There's your basic four sides pyramid (teepee style), log cabin, steam boat, LA State capital building, LSU (Block letters), etc. Some build two - one to burn for Christmas and one to burn for New Years. You don't pour diesel on the one you're saving for New years and it usually survives. Also, always good to include cut bamboo in the design to hear the snap crackle and pop when it burns.

There are parish rules about maximum size (without an licensed engineer's review), a few basic safety features (no gasoline), no liquid fuel left on the levee unattended, don't keep your beer out in the open, etc. Start dates and "must be cleaned up by" dates.

Also, there is a competition of sorts between the west bank (Vacherie & Edgard) and the east bank (Gramercy & Lutcher). Usually more are built on the west bank and larger ones are built on the east bank.

So over many weekends and many cold beers guys (and some gals) get together and build these. Yes it's a lot of work, hauling lumber, hammering and nailing with chain saws humming for weekends preceding Christmas and New Years eve.

pretty neat, huh? alright, you have your history and sports lesson all in one...i hope you're fulfilled because it probably won't happen again. (unless we win, then i will talk about it until the superbowl)

i hope you have a lovely weekend, and if you feel the urge, shout out a little who dat tomorrow!

help for haiti

 last night was the first time i fully understood (to the best of my ability) the devastation in haiti, after watching the death and destruction unfold before our eyes on national television. it is heartbreaking and gut-wrenching to say the very least.  if you all can make any kind of contribution, even the smallest, it is needed.

if you are looking to donate and are not sure where to go, i've pulled information a friend sent me from the department of state:

How To Help: Red Cross | Mercy Corps
About the Author: Cheryl Mills serves as the Counselor and Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Earlier today, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 struck Haiti. Reports are still coming in, but it appears that many schools, hospitals and other buildings have collapsed, adding more suffering to an already impoverished nation, the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
Reports continue to pour in from all over and we are extending all our thoughts and prayers to those who have been affected.
As Secretary Clinton said earlier, the U.S. government will offer assistance to Haiti and others in the region in the form of civilian and military disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.
For those interesting in helping immediately, simply text “HAITI” to “90999″ and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill.
Or you can go online to organizations like the Red Cross and Mercy Corps Mercy Corpsto make a contribution to the disaster relief efforts.
The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747. We’ll provide more details and opportunities to help as we learn more. To stay up-to-date, follow us on state.gov.
From the Huffington Post Impact Page

•The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake. They expect to provide immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. They are accepting donations through their International Response Fund.
•UNICEF has issued a statement that “Children are always the most vulnerable population in any natural disaster, and UNICEF is there for them.” UNICEF requests donations for relief for children in Haiti via their Haiti Earthquake Fund. You can also call 1-800-4UNICEF.
•Donate through Wyclef Jean’s foundation, Yele Haiti. Text “Yele” to 501501 and $5 will be charged to your phone bill and given to relief projects through the organization.
•Operation USA is appealing for donations of funds from the public and corporate donations in bulk of health care materials, water purification supplies and food supplements which it will ship to the region from its base in the Port of Los Angeles. Donate online at www.opusa.org, by phone at1-800-678-7255 or, by check made out to Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave, Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.
•Ben Stiller’s Stillerstrong campaign will be temporarily diverting all donations to support the Haiti relief effort.
•Partners In Health reports its Port-au-Prince clinical director , Louise Ivers, has appealed for assistance: “Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS… Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us.” Donate to their Haiti earthquake fund.
•Mercy Corps is sending a team of emergency responders to assess damage, and seek to fulfill immediate needs of quake survivors. The agency aided families after earthquakes in Peru in 2007, China and Pakistan in 2008, and Indonesia last year. Donate online, call 1-888-256-1900 or send checks to Mercy Corps Haiti Earthquake Fund; Dept NR; PO Box 2669; Portland, OR 97208.
•Direct Relief is committing up to $1 million in aid for the response and is coordinating with its other in-country partners and colleague organizations. Their partners in Haiti include Partners in Health, St. Damien Children’s Hospital, and the Visitation Hospital, which are particularly active in emergency response. Donate to Direct Relief online.
•Oxfam is rushing in teams from around the region to respond to the situation to provide clean water, shelter, sanitation and help people recover. Donate to Oxfam America online.
•International Medical Corps is assembling a team of first responders and resources to provide lifesaving medical care and other emergency services to survivors of the earthquake. Donate online.

also, amazing blogger naomi is donating all of the proceeds from her headbands to doctors without borders.  go here to order one (cute and socially responsible!).

although i don't think you need any additional reasoning, these photos from Operation USA are hauntingly beautiful and almost overwhelming.  and lastly, this story of an american survivor is the epitome of selfless inspiration. just think of how blessed and fortunate we all are, and what we can do to help, even if it isn't monetary, a prayer, spreading the word...these actions are all helpful.

planes, trains and windmills

we had some great scenery on our road trip to colorado. some unusual, some simply beautiful.  here are some images from the road. 

how about that sky in the train photos? it somehow goes on and on.  check out more images on my flickr!

but one of my favorites, taken the night we got back and picked up miss roxy...

almost as if she was more exhausted than we were! 

oh, hi there world!

i know this is going to be hard to believe (coming from a self-proclaimed communicator extraordinaire), but we have been without internet in our home for almost 11 months. well folks, today that changes.  we will be getting our shiny new internet and cable service this afternoon! after almost a year of libraries and panera's (thanks for the free wifi!), we can be connected to the world from our very own home. so stay tuned, and expect a lot more (relevant) stuff from me!

hope you all are having a great week so far :)

xo

photo from weheartit.

little helper

in our old-but-cute apartment, we have gas heaters.  this means that we can't leave them on while we're not at home, which also means that if someone isn't there all day, it can get pretty darn cold.  today is one of those days - it was 17 degrees this morning and we won't get above freezing all day. stephen is working all day (as am i) so i decided to bring miss roxy with me to work.  she is helping so much :)

here she is on her little pad in my cube.  she's the office joy today! hope you all have a lovely friday and fun weekend!!

xo

ps. stephen totally picked out that sweater for her all on his own, it's grey with pink stripes. 

happy new year!

hello! well, i'm back in the real world after a nice long vacation including:

• time with family
• christmas jubilation
• road trip with stephen
• new year's celebration
• rocking the rockies
• missing our little roxy
  

i hope you all had a most memorable time over the holiday and are all getting somewhat back to normal.  i mean, what is normal anyway?! this week i plan on finally taking down christmas decorations and hopefully cleaning my apartment (such a mess and roxy is no help when it comes to cleaning!).  during our 13 hour drive home from denver, stephen and i were talking about resolutions and well, i'm just not sure what mine are.  there are so many things i'd like to improve on in my life, where to start? i'll make a little list and get back to you on that :)

so what's been happening? what did i miss??

i have lots to share with you about our wonderful adventures so stay tuned!
photo from we heart it