Flowers for Friday

I haven't gone out to buy my usual Friday flowers quite yet this morning. Instead, I am dreaming of this flower store I spotted in Florence in 2007.

While all the other touristas were flocking en masse towards the Duomo, I paused a moment to snap this photo of something more quotidian: a sidewalk in bloom.Photo by moi. Florence, Italy 2007.
Near the Ponte Vecchio.

The Barter System

Sometimes I barter with myself. Self, if you go for a thirty-minute run, you will be amply rewarded with a pedicure. Does any one else play these mind-games?
Why can't the post-workout endorphins be enough for me?

Images borrowed from WangYiGuang & GirlsGottaSpa.

Cocktail du jour

The Lemon Drop :
Tart and sweet. Zingy yet smooth.

Dinner Time

If you are what you eat and I am eating a tart....well, you do the math. This Thursday, as almost every other, my hubby has his "man-date" with his best-bud. Rather than sitting at home and eating my single girl dinner of cheerios and chardonnay, I decided to make myself something civilized and scrumptious. And, what, my dears, could be more civilized that a savory tart?

In a Word

Today I'm feeling:Images borrowed from LesPlusBeauxx, Flickr,& BlackWatch.

Coveting: Walkin' Boots

My recent t.v. obsession is the Texas high school football drama: Friday Night Lights. I discovered it late in the game (pun intended)only a few months ago, right before the debut of the long-anticipated 4th season on NBC. And, like all of my favorite dramas (The Sopranos, The Wire, Dexter), the character development is what instantly hooked me.

This show is about way more than football. It's about the ordinary flaws and triumphs of everyday folks. But, what really allows the show to shine is the superb casting. In particular, Tami Taylor (Connie Britton), as the coach's wife, is perfection.

Do what you love

A caveat...what you're about to read is my version of a Jerry Maguire-style occupational manifesto:

Throughout high school, I had stridently planned to pursue my goal of becoming a physician. Most everyone in the family worked in medicine. Why wouldn't I wear a white coat and stethoscope too?

Then, in college, thanks to one miserable biology professor with a Napoleon complex and one erudite art history professor with passion, my interests shifted from anatomy and physiology to oil on canvas and illuminated manuscripts. Why would I continue to labor through biology labs when I felt insatiably hungry for more art history lectures?

A Novel Idea

Having become far too consumed by television, I was determined to find a novel that would pull me back into voracious reading. After browsing the aisles at my local Barnes and Noble (I can't wait for Amazon. I'm an instant gratification gal), I found my recent favorite page-turner: The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

Love Stories

I'm guessing most Jane Austen purists would choose the 6-part BBC Pride and Prejudice as their preferred depiction of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. I, however, was quite taken by the 2005 version starring Keira Knightly and Matthew Macfadyen.

Chocolate Fix: Brownies from Scratch

After discovering how simple it was to pull together these divine, gooey brownies with pantry staples, I will not be taking help from Mrs. Betty Crocker again.

Salad, French Style

One of the first culinary revelations I had in Paris was the salade composée. Whereas most of the salads I had experienced in Missouri up to that point in my young life were sloppy heaps of iceberg with an occasional carrot, French salads were presented in orderly little stacks of veggies and pickled goodies. Salade composée, composed salad, was elegantly arranged with flavors that mingled together deliciously.

As result of this early Parisian training in "how to make salad look yummy," when possible I take a little extra time to arrange my salad components in a pleasing way. Even when you're just throwing together a jar of Ragu and some penne for dinner, this salad takes the meal from "pas mal" to "très bien."

Gushing Over 9 by Design {again}

As I've admitted before, I am completely captivated by 9 by Design on Bravo. Unlike so many of the train-wreck reality programs, this show focuses on a family that is living well and doing good.

The Art of Design: Signac

For me, design inspiration almost always comes from something on hanging on my wall. Color palette, textures or shapes---what you're attracted to in an artwork will certainly translate into a room you adore. Art is the ultimate inspiration. How would this pointillist St. Tropez Tree by Paul Signac inspire a living room?

I envision myriad shades of blue with touches of lemony yellow, eclectic furniture and a few beachy elements: Images borrowed from TheGlamLamb, House&Home, HouseOfTurquoise, Lonny, SkonaHemviaDesiretoInspire & CandiceOlsen.

Spring Spruce Up

When design trends trickle down to a store within my price point, I get giddy. I've been seeing Suzani and lattice prints EVERYWHERE in designer rooms lately. So, I was a happy homemaker when I found these cheaper chic goodies at my favorite budget-friendly spots.

A Suzani tablecloth by Dwell at Target:
A lattice lamp with a Moroccan touch from Home Goods: Lattice pillows by Dwell at Target:

A May Gray Day

We Southern Californians have entered the most dreaded of all our weather "seasons"---May Gray (followed by June Gloom).

The usual incandescently sunny days have been replaced with week long stretches of blah, gray, chilly haze.

Yeah, yeah, it is absurd and annoying for Californians to complain about the weather; but go ahead and cue the violins, because I am experiencing a touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder. The blue skies have turned gray. My sweat pants have replaced pencil skirts. All I want to do is sit inside and drink cappuccino and watch Ina cook on the tele.

Thank goodness for my nutritionally-conscious hubby or I would be noshing on this for my "May Gray" dinner:and this, post sugar-coma:Image borrowed from TakeANap.

Lux Nova

In the 12th century, when Abbot Suger of Saint Denis decided to rebuild his Romanesque church near Paris, he wrote the new Gothic architectural vocabulary and incorporated one of the visual revelations of medieval art: stained glass windows.

Words to Live by

Image borrowed from Vi.Usualize.Us & WeHeartIt&GeekinthePink.

Les Rêveries de Paris

"We should read to give our souls a chance to luxuriate." ~Henry Miller



Today I'm experiencing a big-time case of geographic ennui (yes, I know, quelle horreur). As usual, my travel daydreams have taken me to Paris. My mind has wandered to one specific spot: Les Bouquinistes.

Les Bouquinistes are the 250 used book sellers that dot the bank of the Seine, near the Ile de la Cité. Each coveted green metal box (the wait list for a new spot is 8 years) is filled with ragged novels or ancient maps or yellowing magazines, as they have been since about 1500. As a flea market junkie (punk intended), the surprise of discovering an out of print edition of a favorite book or an old copy of Vogue proves well-worth my time.

Orange Creamsicle Rooms

Poor orange. It developed such a bad reputation during the 70's. But honestly, can you think of a more joyful color?

Scared of orange? Cool it off with a little robin's egg blue or a touch of turquoise:Images borrowed from MilesRedd, PalmerWeissDesign,FranKeenan, & JohnWilley.

Cocktail du jour

The gimlet is the classic vodka martini's ladylike cousin. When I sip gimlets, I feel as though I'm attending a cocktail party at Betty Draper's house. Gimlets, though consisting of few simple ingredients, pack a layered punch of flavors (thanks mainly to gin's juniper notes).

The Gin Gimlet:

2 parts gin
half a lime (or Rose's lime juice)
splash of simple syrup (omit if using Rose's)

shake with lots of ice
serve very cold
Photo by moi.

Flowers for Friday

"Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity." John Ruskin

Rain or shine, over my weekly budget or under it, every Friday I treat myself to a bunch of (usually pink) posies. Flowers are not a luxury, they are a necessity. What else can you buy for $6 that will offer a week's worth of satisfaction for zero calories and sans guilt?

This week, while loading up my cart at Trader Joe's, I spied this bitsy bunch of peonies. Swoon (a gold star to my daddio who gave me that simply elegant Eva Zeisel vase)Check out those glorious peonies three days later:Photos by moi.

Ordinary Things

A few ordinary things of extraordinary beauty:Images borrowed from SayingImages, Vi.ualize.us, MakeAndTakes, ThatObscureObject & Photoholic.

Chanello!

Yesterday I dreamed of my trip to Cannes. Today, I've found the perfect Côte d'Azur ensemble, thanks to Chanel's 2011 resort collection.

Wouldn't this look smashing billowing on-board some fellow's yacht?I might also need some Miss Trish of Capri sandals to go with:And, it wouldn't hurt to have some fabulous accessories from Turq:

A Poetic Moment

Last night as I drove home, I was struck by this poem, read on NPR's The Writer's Almanac. Admittedly Garrison Keillor's voice has the literary weight to make reading People magazine sound more elegant and erudite. But, whether because of Keillor's soft oratory tone or Jenkin's powerfully veiled words, this poem resonated with me:

Things I Learned from Carrie

For me, the countdown to the release of Sex and the City 2 began weeks ago (er, actually the day after the first movie was released). The initial time I saw the trailer, I giddily shrieked out loud at the appearance of Aiden (thank goodness he's finally landed a gig more glamorous than being the voice of Applebee's).

To say I'm a devoted fan would be an understatement. Every Friday in recent memory, while I wait on my hubby to get home from work, I select an episode (or three)at random, shake up a pink cocktail, and feel like I'm catching up with old friends. I anticipate that 20 years from now, I will still be watching my old episodes, delighting in the fashions, laughing and crying along with the girls.

Ultimately, every woman has a little Carrie, a little Charlotte, a little Miranda and perhaps even a touch of Samantha within her. More than the shoes, or the enviable fancy dinners, or the glimpses of New York City, what I adore most about the show is the friendship.