may faves

It's the end of May. Wait a second, what?! That was fast.

the best of the best:

best weekend:

right now. memorial day weekend has been spectacular... sunshine, drinks, tacos, poolside, chinese food, ice cream, movies...and lots of quality time with the sweet boyfriend.

...and we have one more day of it all folks!

best book:

Rabbit, Run by John Updike. A completely dysfunctional story of real people.

best discovery:

Lela Rose and Alice+Olivia for Payless...Seriously track these down, amazing.

best drink:

Summer Beer!! (many variations, I'm out to try them all...)

just keep swimming

It's one of those days...but it's Thursday!

And Sex and City is tonight and the three-day weekend starts tomorrow.

It could not come soon enough.

whistful whists

The latest development in living room ideas comes from a duck in the pond outside my office building.

We have a nice brown bookshelf, but the table I'm looking at is black and the couch is gray or cream (undecided). When I first thought about this, the scheme seemed like too much clash and not enough order. Yesterday, I saw this gorgeous duck in the pond and when he fluttered his wings, shades of deep blue and green appeared along with gray, black and brown!! He was gorgeous and now, I've accepted the different elements and have decided on green and blue accents, like Mr. Mallard.

And I would like to do this to my office at some point...

(escapade)

And after I did all this research, look what I stumbled upon,

perfection.

And this little lovebug is at Doggie Day Camp right now.

words inspire

I absolutely love...

idiom bracelets at Kate Spade.

And this quote:

I often think that I deserve something, when frankly, I don't deserve anything. The problem with living in Dallas is the materialism. It gets to you. There are Maseratis and Bentleys in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

It takes effort to step back, reevaluate, and continue on as you are without things weighing you down, because it will weigh you down, and I hate being surrounded by it.

Which all reminds me of a song that I have recently fallen in love with. Things I Don't Need by Nanci Griffith, simply amazing.

Like a bag you unpack at the end of a trip

You're wondering why did I take all of this?

These things I don't need weigh me down

I woke up today and I made up my mind

From now on I'll leave all those things I don't need behind

monday motivation

There are my weekend feet hanging off the side of the boat. I miss it.

I have some newfound motivation to get going on some goals of mine...

wake up earlier on weekdays

workout more consistently

study for the GRE

finish one of the five books I'm reading

(I have a horrible habit of starting multiple books before finishing any of them)

First book to finish:

I'm three-fourths of the way through Rabbit, Run.

Serious headway expected tonight.

"If you have the guts to be yourself...other people'll pay your price."

so happy it's friday

Happy Weekend!

I'm headed to the lake...

road trip

tunes

sunshine

friends

food

conversation

laughter

love.

Trying to think of the perfect boat playlist. Ideas?

fried sushi

Dear Thursday, I love you. You're such a promising weekday, as Friday is right around the corner to bring me the weekend!

Last night I ordered a fried sushi roll. I hate fried sushi, it completely defeats the point and I avoid it always. But last night the menu tricked me, or I marked the wrong jalapeño roll...not sure which. What I wanted was yellowtail, jalapeño and cream cheese, which is what I got, but fried on the outside. Really took it down a notch.

Anyways, I stumbled across this beautiful event and had to share.

The Pierre Ballroom decorated by Bronson van Wyck...

Recreating the winter migration of Monarch butterflies.

Isn't it wonderful?

(And I promise no more butterflies for a while.)

shoe love.

Look!

It's a skirt for the heel.

How ridiculous is that? But oh so cute...

(amazing)

dream a little dream for me

"Waiting on dreams to come true..."

Irks me. (For lack of a better term)

Why do people insist on either rushing life or not enjoying what they have in this moment. It is one of the most devastating things to not appreciate life as you have it. There are beautiful things always, and sometimes the best adventures in life are simply finding them.

I am not a patient person, it has never been a quality that I elegantly exhibit, and often would have saved myself a lot of stress to simply calm down and let life be.

But, I just don't believe you should sit back and "wait on dreams."

This is it.

This is your life, why not make it a dream or find the dream you have now.

The bigger, grander (preferably shoe-filled) dreams will come, but you don't want to miss the simple dreams of today waiting for the "big" dreams of tomorrow.

end rant.

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not;
but remember that what you now have was once
among the things you only hoped for.
- Epicurus

Tonight is a wine tasting. Thank goodness for after-work activities! Then I will go home and catch up on the DVR, read: shamelessly indulge in last night's episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey.

And can we rant for two seconds about the fall of RH-New York? I almost can't watch it, I meanI can, but I almost can't.

Run-down:

Kelly-completely insane.

Jill-completely annoying.

Luann- Jill's biotch.

Ramona-just her normal crazy-self.

It is surprising how much I've come to like Alex this season, and I think Sonja is interesting to watch (and gorgeous). But all this to say, I think New Jersey has taken over the top spot.

End rant.

Sample of tomorrow's decor. I love love love this quote and may just decorate the new place with words, since I often obsess over them anyways...

livin' the good life

I would like to do this. And strut.

(here)

And George would like to do this.

(here)

And it's FRIDAY! So really, anything is possible.

Wish us luck in finding/creating/living the dream.

Warm weekend wishes!

movers and shakers

There's always an overload of speculation on the perfect nail polish once sandal season graces us with it's warmth. This is my pick:

Movers and Shakers, by essie.

Hands down.

It's a sassy pink and makes people think my indecisive mind has finally been made up. I carry it in my purse so that I can just hand it over at the nail salon as oppose to staring at the random selection they provide for an embarrassing amount of time.

It's gorgeous, I love it, and I don't know who it wouldn't empower!

Wistful Wednesday

The move is always on the mind now. I took precious Georgie on a walk yesterday evening and we walked by the new apartment building. It was beautiful! And, to top off my excitement, there is a yoga studio directly across the street!! It's hot yoga, which I love, and could not be more convenient.

A week's worth of inspiration:

The tray search continues:

I would love/need a bathroom tray to try and contain my makeup/perfume/brushes in some orderly fashion. The idea is so elegant, hopefully I can find something. Last weekend I almost bought two trays and at the last second decided they were not exactly what I envisioned, problems,

I know.

This living room is a tad cluttered on the wall-side but I love the colors, Neutral with Coral:

And I would like an indoor citrus plant to brighten the room. Lemon trees are suppose to clean the air...

Happy Wednesday, the week is just zooming by!

I'm a sucker for butterflies.

When I was in New York for an internship during my sophomore year of college I bought a butterfly ring at the Tiffany's on 5th Avenue. The legendary Audrey Hepburn Tiffany's. That was the beginning of the butterfly love affair. It stemmed from one of my favorite quotes at the time:

"Just when the caterpillar thought its life was over, it turned into a butterfly."

I love that hope in the midst of life-threatening disaster. I tend to be a worrier, and it's nice to be reminded of rainbows and butterflies in the midst of storms.

These are on sale at anthropologie:

let the love affair continue...

who do you love?

“When I stopped seeing my mother with the eyes of a child, I saw the woman who helped me give birth to myself.”

~Nancy Friday

This is important to me. Thank you for allowing/making me become who I am, because it's the only explanation.

words outdated

How fantastic is this?Aaah! I love it! When I was little I was constantly on the search for the perfect fort/treehouse in the woods to escape the world and I'm pretty sure this takes the cake.

Meritorious Monday...

(I also used "mosey" during a conversation yesterday with Jeff's parents, just slipped right out because I'm 90 years old. I was hoping it didn't register, but he brought it up this morning. Lost some of the few cool points I am still clinging on to.)

1. Weekend. And Mother's Day really made for a wonderful weekend! I went home to see my wonderful parents! It was a great visit! Everything is always better at home too, such comfort. The Fam, in a pose:

2. Old Friends. One of my closest friends is moving to San Francisco (now I must visit, often.). Her story is one of ridiculous luck, she lost her job on a Friday (which is an outrage in itself), and had a final interview where they offered her a job the following Monday. She's pretty ecstatic and had luckily already started interviewing for jobs in San Francisco because her boyfriend is there and they will now be moving in together! yay! I love them. Sorry for the run-on. Here's a pic from our New Year's festivites...the outfit shot:

3. The White Chocolate Mocha Misto that woke me up this morning.

4. Gorgeous and delicious wine, what a feat! Kris Wine...I had the Pinot Noir and it was delicious, but the label really blew me away. An Italian Artist designed the beautiful label and it is a great gift. I gave a bottle to my mom for Mother's Day!

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5. Blog love. Thank you all so much for following, reading and commenting. It's great getting to know you, or at least little glimpses.

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And finally, the sweet award from Bree (flattered, thank you so much!!).

I will pass it on to Same Sweet Girl! She always has lovely things to say and is an uplifting read (especially good for the Mondays).

Happy Weekend!

Three more hours of work till my weekend begins and I could not be more thrilled. Plans include:

Rangers Baseball game with hot dogs and beer!

Road Trip to see Mom (and the family!).

Brunch with an old friend.

Furniture/Decor shopping.

Leisure.

and sunny sunshine!

And I'm sure it will all go by in a hurry...

lately decorating

The move is now a little over a month away (yay!!) and here's what I've been glued to lately:

the power of side tables:

Paintings on the windowsill (above and below), such a great idea:

round dining tables are better for gatherings:

great desk space:

and a French Press in bed! is there anything more perfect?!

And then my hair will do this:

And I'll put on these:

and sit here.

(everything and everything else)

Two Things I love but couldn't find adequate illustrations:

Black and gold

Deep sofas, that almost resemble beds (glamorous + perfect for movie watching)

Have a fantastic Thursday! (the best weekday)