craving pasta...

pinterest is going to make me fat, really fat. i have millions of recipes pinned, most of which i actually do try at some point. i'm thinking about making one of these two pasta dishes for dinner this week...yummm...

spicy sausage pasta

pesto pasta with chicken sausage & roasted brussel sprouts

currently reading...

hurricane sandy aided in my finishing of tonights book group meeting book, before i go to sleep. i'm not going to lie, i was a little freaked out by how this book twisted at the end. it's amazing how words in a book, in a story that is nothing like your own life, still have the abillity to unerve you like they do.

the pick for novembers reading is dare me by megan abbott. i've not heard of it before so i just read this nytime review about it...anything that is described as "the 'heathers' meets 'fight club'" sounds awesome to me!

dear santa...

dear santa, since i've asked my friends & family not to get me any christmas gifts this year (they have been way too generous throughout the year), i was hoping you could bring a few of these items for me down the ole' chimney this year instead...

grey statement teardrop necklace

asymmetrical boiled wool coat

canvas clutch

burberry orange leather strap watch

mini-print percal star bedding with johanna quilt & shams (hello holiday bedding!)

joy ride dogs hooked wool pillow

le creuset marseille rectangular baking set

emile henry white pie dish

empire red kitchen aid artisan 5-quart stand mixer

 moravian star ceiling mount mercury glass light (for my bedroom)

turner leather sofa (think it'll fit in my chimney?)...i'm hoping it will be a nice match to the leather & wood rocker my stepdad is giving me...

a few more chance lee paintings

13inch macbook pro (since my laptop is about to crap out)

hurricane hunkering...

supposedly hurricane sandy is coming...supposedly.  in any event, we are hunkering down with a bottle of wine and a sunday night massacre of stuffed animal toys...cabin fever much?!?!

 

inspirational...

i just watched this segment on 60 minutes about asheboro, nc - named america's fasted dying town in 2008 and finding itself shakily existing between recovery & recession...and i was literally stopped in my track. sad but truly inspirational..especially miss jenny's pickles! please, watch it.

it's begining to look a lot like...

a good, talented photographer friend of mine came by this afternoon to do a quick photo shoot with me and the dogs, a little pre-christmas card action if you will (yes, i am the crackhead who thinks about holiday cards in october). i did a little 'test' shoot for myself to prep them for their professional session...let's just say they were less than thrilled...

 

story of my life...

toy art...

holy hell, i might go out and buy (vintage) matchbox cars just so i can do this. this magnetic car mural diy idea was sent to me buy an uber cool friend of mine who has two little boys with a bazillion matchbox cars. they recently purchased a house and she's thinking about installing this badboy in their rec room, great idea, right? it's almost like a piece of art, really freakin' cool art!...

and they call it puppy love...

it's not that these two dislike each other, but they're usually wrestling to the death with one another (or more like hank has penny pinned against the floor until she cries to be let go). so you can imagine my surprise when i came around the corner at work this morning to see these two sitting like this...

...could they finally be starting to love each other?

tasha gets hitched...

 

my darling friend tasha, aka: bones, is married! ummm, hello, do you LOVE her veil or what?!?! you think that veil is gorgeous? check out her dress! seriously, pretty doesn't even begin to describe how wonderful she looked on her wedding day...and what a BEAUTIFUL fall day it was for a wedding...

 

after their lovely ceremony we had to stop to cram our faces with sandwiches...we knew it was going to be a long, fun night of dancing, drinking and laughing with old & new friends (and i'm a closet fat-kid-wannabe)...

 

no wedding would be without an hws crew to represent!!!

oh yeah, did i tell you tasha's husband is not only a super cool episcopalian reverend (from the south- you know much i love the south!), but he's also in a band....yeah, that's right, he's the 'rockin' rev'...and he sang to his bride last night...

i've been to a lot of weddings, especially as of lately, and as i get older i've come to realize something really important...i love these friends of mine who are getting married because of what amazing people they are (for real, you need to meet some of my friends, i can't believe how lucky i am to have some of these friends, like what did i do to deserve such incredibly thoughtful and kind people in my life?)...but they also have other amazing people in their lives who love them too, ones that i have the great fortune of getting to meet with each new wedding. last night i got to meet the husbands of the beautiful women i spent time with at the bachelorette party, the parents & siblings & friends from far away, the nieces, nephews & friends children- and they were all WONDERFUL! aside from celebrating my friends union in love, i got to make new friends, and for that i am so grateful.

ps- one of my new favorite, super cool family got me the coolest gift ever- you know i'm going to break this bad boy out like all the time- i'm thinking a 'family game night' invite is in order! Thank you Hopper/Coles family, you guys rock!...

teeth cleaning...

i went to the dentist this morning, i know, who cares right? the dentist used to be my least favorite doctor of all time...and i don't have bad teeth. in fact, i have no cavities, i brush & floss religiously. but now that they use the cavitron (high pressured water & air) as opposed to the awful scrapping tool to clean off the plaque & stains life is much better. seriously, if you hate that noise as much as i do you should request it. in & out in less than 45 minutes.

the only part i ever really liked about going to dentist when i was a kid was the basket of prizes you got to choose from when it was all over...what the hell, why don't they do that for adults? i mean, i did get this super cute pouch of dental goodies when i left, so i guess that's their adult equivlant?...

it would be so much cooler if they gave you like a new pair of winter boots, or a nice david yurman bracelet, right?

bill for president...

do your part...

i am a big believer in supporting local businesses...especially super rad ones like the one my friend jenny is involved in. i've blogged about second wind sails for a long time now, but you've got to check out her video campaign on indiegogo and see what she's all about now with her newest venture, onshore designs. have no idea what indiegogo is? i didn't either, so in her words...

it’s a website that is an online funding platform for projects- so basically people come up with cool ideas- tell their story with a video and ask for “pledges” - monetary donations to complete their project, and in return, give rewards for prospective pledges. There is no limit to how much you can raise.

I know many of you have been with me on this journey from the very start, and without your support, SWS would have never made it, and for that I am forever grateful. Just know that Second Wind is still alive and well, and definitely part of the big plan moving forward but I want to protect it as a niche brand and start a revolution for “hand crafted” and “Made in America” in a way where I can reach hundreds and thousands of people- which is where ONSHORE lifestyle clothing and accessories comes in.

her video is amazing, so cool right? i really like seeing young, talented, socially responsible people succeed. and i don't ask for a lot, but  PLEASE, donate to this super awesome venture...you will not be disappointed, i can promise you that.

playing in my head...

And he said
He said it's crazy
How love stays with me
You know it hurts me
Cause I don't wanna fight this war
It's amazing to see me reading through this scene
Of love and fear and apologies
He said it's crazy
How love stays with me
You know it hurts me
That i didn't figure it out before
And now it's too late for a soliloquy
It's way too late for dignity
It's time for apologies

priorities...

A professor stood before his philosophy class with a few items spread out in front of him.

When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, ”Is the jar full?”

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again, “Is the jar full?”

They agreed it was.

Next the professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything remaining crack and crevice.

He asked once more, ”Is the jar full?”

The students responded with a unanimous, “Yes!”

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents of both bottles into the jar effectively filling the last of the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed…

“Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents our life.”

The golf balls are the important things—our family, our children, our health, our friends and our favorite passions—and if everything else was lost and only they remained, our life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like our job, our house and our car..

The sand is everything else—the small stuff.” He paused for dramatic effect.

“If we put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.”

“The same goes for our life.

If we spend all our time and energy on the small stuff we will never have room for the things that are most important to us.”

“It’s time to pay attention to the things that are critical to our happiness.

Spend time with our children.

Spend time with our parents.

Visit with grandparents.

Take our spouse out to dinner.

Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.

Take care of the golf balls first—the things that really matter.

Set our priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired, “What does the beer represent?”

The professor smiled and said, “I’m glad you asked.”

“The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers with a friend.”

hell to the yes...

anyone who knows us knows we are HOBART girls all the way...hell yeah! thanks for the awesome photo ali...

coolest of the cool thanks to dabney lee...

you'll be glad to know i've stepped out of the dark ages and now own an iphone... adios blackberry. and obviously i just had to get an uber cool dabney lee cell case for this bad-boy like i had on my old phone...

my friend ali works for dabney lee and always makes sure her girls are outfitted with the latest & greatest, as you can see from our entourage of cell phones from the weekend...

image via ali

and when you're in the city next (THE city, as in NYC, obvi) you should check out their new store front in dumbo...

via dabney lee blog

nate + target= i'm in love...

hello october issue of lonny magazine, and thank you for interrupting me mid-work day. i was happy to see my (boyfriend) nate berkus in this issue, right before the release of his new book, the things that matter. for anyone who wants to buy me a little gift for no reason at all you can go ahead and surprise me with this book. and you can bet your bottom dollar i'll be camping outside of target the night before his new line hits stores, october 21...

i want this lamp, like now...

tv time...

thank heavens fall television has returned, my dvr is filling up fast with all my favorites! i'm a nerd and can hardly stay awake past 9pm on week nights, so saturday mornings (when i wake up at 6am on the dot) are my time to catch up on the boob-tube. one show i make an acception for is the voice, i'm obsessed. adam & blake are my favorites, but i do love me a little cee-lo once in a while. i can't stand christina though, ugh, she's awful.

do you watch this show? you have to, it's great. it makes me wish i could carry a tune.

bonkers for burlap...

is it too early to be thinking about christmas decorations already? yes. do i care? no. does this stress you out? probably.

not that i have any extra money to be spending on holiday decorations these days, but maybe i could make these, i like trying to be crafty, sort of (we all know i'll enlist the help of dear old mom on this one). i'm infatuated with the idea of having custom burlap christmas stockings suddenly...

 via

via dooley noted

via centsational girl

via cherished vintage

via dear lillie

via southern inspired (but from these people, i think i need this one)

since i'm a beginner sewer, i of course looked up a few tutorials that look easy enough. this one and this one might be a good start- i'll keep you posted.