design hard ons, eye candy, and girl crushes.

Okay people, lots of ground to cover. First of all, I love this man:

Dexter. Yes, if you watch it, I do realize he's a sociopath, void of all human emotion, and a serial killer. Whatevs. He treats his sister and his girlfriend like princesses, he brutally murders always gets the bad guy, and he keeps an immaculately clean house. There is something about him that it is just impossible not to like. I found this show on Josie's netflix instant play this weekend and the next thing I knew, 6 whole episodes had gone by! I'm addicted.

Also, I cannot say enough good things about this movie:

Saw it on Saturday and am still figuring it all out. Overall, a trippy, mindbending flick that I would recommend to just about anyone. I did make the mistake of recommending it to my 91 year old grandpa. He apparently ended up leaving halfway through because it was 'peculiar' and he couldn't understand a word anyone was saying. Sounds like most family gatherings though.

Anyway, yes, the movie was fantastic, but let's talk about what's really important: the bounty of mouthwatering eye candy! It was all I could do to follow the story AND make mental pictures of the future children I will have with these men.

First and of course, foremost:
My longtime boyfriend, Leo. He and I have been pretty serious since his picture was plastered all over my walls in 7th grade. We had a brief period apart, around the time of The Beach but are now closer than ever. I'm very supportive of his acting career.

Next up, That Kid From 3rd Rock From the Sun. Also known as JGL. PRECIOUS. Although I haven't been able to get over his pathetic character from 500 Days of Summer. Still delicious.

I think this one's a new fave! His name is Tom Hardy and he has a British accent. Nuff said.

OH HAAAAY Cillian Murphy. This guy always plays characters that are either unlikable or down right evil, but I'm holding out hope that he's a doll in real life because dayyy-umm.

Also, Ellen Page does such a good job and isn't even Juno-y at all! Good for her! Although I love Juno.

Sorry Tom Berenger. You didn't make the cut. Your scary plastic surgery has crossed that critical point of no return.

Also, this girl:

Can do no wrong in my book. I jam to her new single, King of Anything, like it's my JOB.

Okay, on to more serious things. I was just cruising through my Google Reader today, minding my own business, when BAM.

I came upon a post from one of my favorite blogs, The Newlywed Diaries, about this incredible Cottage Living Idea house. I mean, it's in Nola. It's a perfect mix of modern and classic luxe. It's perfect. Why don't I already live there???

I DIE.

Well I'll be DURNED

One of my partners in crime just nominated me for this incredible award!

HOLLA! This makes me wanna jump up and down on my bed singing "I Believe I Can Fly!" This makes me wanna stand at the edge of a boat yelling about the king of the world or something. This makes me wanna...go shopping. What doesn't though? SOOOO, I get to tell you 5 things about myself and then nominate 2 blogs for the award too!

Heretofore are my 5 things. Don't fall asleep...

Uno. I am lactose intolerant. There, I said it. It needed to be acknowledged. But the thing is, I am a total dairy fiend. Hold on to your cheese, people. Generally, it doesn't bother me too much until you get to the creamier ice creams and yogurts and straight up MILK. And I just don't know when to stop before I start to feel bad things going on inside my vital organs. Most people who know me know that when I make a scared face and say "Uhoh," it's time to go home. Stat. This may have been too much information for you all.

Dos. I don't like birds. As in, those devil animals who would love nothing more than to peck my eyes out with their sharp little demon beaks and pull my hair with their talons. This is a problem mainly when I want to sit outside to eat and the people I'm with think it would be fun to feed the mother truckin birds. What's fun about that? What's fun about catching bird flu? What's fun about salmonella? Nothing. I would rather hold a venomous snake in my hot little hands, or a gila monster, or a tarantula, any day of the week. There is one and only one exception to this rule: Flightless birds. Who doesn't like freakin penguins?? Also, emus.

Tres. The truth is, I would almost always choose something that is so ugly it's cute, than something that is just plain cute. Example: babies. Example: animals. Example: friends. JUST KIDDING, y'all are stone cold hotties.

Quatro. I had back surgery a couple of years ago to remove a cyst that was embedded in the base of my spine. They ended up taking out most of my tailbone as well. Inside that cyst was spinal fluid and hair. Inside that cyst was my evil twin.

I WON.

Also, this makes me a badass. Literally.

Cinco. I love love love anything scary- movies, haunted houses, ghost-related carriage rides, Halloween festivities, that is, until I am actually experiencing them. Cue the paralyzing fear and hands clutching my face and whoever is unlucky enough to be next to me. The IDEA of scary is fantastic to me. The goosebumps, heart pounding, bug-eyed, jumpy heebie-jeebies, but without fail, I am dooming myself to many sleepless nights curled up in a ball in my bed, praying that the demons won't come get me. To this day, if I happen to wake up at 3am (the witching hour) I turn on the tv as loud as I can, without waking up the roomies, turn on the lights, and hope hope hope that I won't turn into Emily Rose, have seizures, turn green, and need an exorcism. I never ever learn though. Case in point: Paranormal Activity. Eh, it's not that scary, right? It's just footage from a dumb video camera. THEREIN LIES THE TERROR.

Funny story related to this:

After watching that scary ass home movie, I got home around midnight, and thanked Jesus, Mary, Joseph, unicorns, angels, puppies, and all the saints that dear Josephine was still awake. Because I'll be DANGED if I'm going to tiptoe into a dark, demon infested apartment where my roommates both lie, either brutally mutilated, or possessed by the devil. So of course, Jo and I are sitting in the living room, I am clutching at poor Mia, a little too tightly I'm sure, and telling the story of The Scariest Movie Ever Made since E.T. and just when I'm getting to the part about how the demon would turn on the water in the middle of the night, I shit you not, WE HEAR WATER GUSHING IN JO'S BATHROOM. Jo and I simultaneously try to leap into each other's laps and shriek in terror. This cannot be happening. There is an effing DEMON in our apartment. We're going to have to move.

About 5 minutes later, after we have pep-talked each other up enough to check out the water, we creep into the bathroom to confront Satan see where it is coming from. Turns out, there is a waterfall flowing from the air vent above the tub. So the demon is living in the air ducts now. Interesting.

We drag each other upstairs to see if maybe the water could be coming from the apartment above us. At that time, there was an older dad living there with his 2 kids, and since Mia had accosted him hundreds of times, we at least knew him enough to say hi everyday. We noticed that the window to the left of the front door, which opened into the master bedroom, had the blinds open. The room looked dark but we could hear a tv going inside. After about 30 seconds of banging on the door and maniacal giggling, we look over and see Big Daddy, as we will call him from now on, leaping out of his bathtub and running for the door, uh, naked as a jay bird. Since at this point, we have no filter, Josie yells "He's naked!!!" and I start cackling uncontrollably like a 3rd grader. Then I see Jo run like she has never run before toward the stairs... That ho was going to leave me to contend with a nude and probably disgruntled Big Daddy! We mumble a high pitched "sorry...water...eek!" through the door and basically fall over each other trying to get down the stairs and into the safety of our demonic apartment. Roughly a minute later, Big Daddy knocks on OUR door and probably hears us both going "You answer it. No, YOU answer it!" We eventually open the door to a drenched but fully clothed Big Daddy and he sweetly comes in to "check out our leak." In the end, I think the poor man just wanted to see inside Josie's love lair and hopefully get an invite for the future. No Dice, BD.

And that is how we make friends with our neighbors over here at 2601. BD has since moved out.

Okay, and more importantly, my nominations! I choose...

My nugget head Sarah! This gal knows what's up! Check out her bloggy for great recipes, design ideas, and entertaining tips!

The sassy and fabulous Ellen Hill! Her design style is so smart and sophisticated and I miss miss miss those late nights in the studio with her!

And now that I've either bored you, freaked you out, or convinced you even further that I have issues, I'm outie! Have a truly marvelous weekend, I know I will :)

This isn't a real post, just a perfectly perfect quote.

Turn on the television. We have a wedding channel on cable TV devoted to the behavior of people on the way to the altar. They spend billions of dollars, behave in the most appalling way, all in an effort to be princess for a day. You don’t have cable television? Put on network TV. We’re giving away husbands on a game show. You can watch The Bachelor, where thirty desperate women will compete to marry a 40-year-old man who has never been able to maintain a decent relationship in his life. That’s what we’ve done to marriage in America, where young women are socialized from the time they’re five years old to think of being nothing but a bride. They plan every day what they’ll wear, how they’ll look, the invitations, the whole bit, they don’t spend five minutes thinking about what it means to be a wife. People stand up there before god and man even in Senator Diaz’s church, they swear to love honor and obey, they don’t mean a word of it. So if there’s anything wrong with the sanctity of marriage in America, it comes from those of us who have the privilege and the right and have abused it for decades.

-Diane Savino, NY Senator

Y'all.

I mean, Y'ALL. We need to TALK. I realize it's been a while. Okay, yes, 3 months. That's beside the point. I mean, I could hem and haw around with excuses, I'm busy, I can't get my pictures off my brand spankin' new camera, I haven't had anything to say, but in the end, just blame it on the boogie. It's always the boogie.There are several things I need to tell you about

THESE.

You guys, who the heck is TOM? I know, I know, the guy who made those heinously ugly flats for a while, but now, NOW, there are the wedges. And they make my heart go pitter patter. And for every pair we buy (oh, and we will buy) they give a pair to a sweet lil child who needs them. AND they're comfortable. No matter that they make me about 8' tall. I'm obsessed.

Also, I have something disturbing to tell you. I have eaten an entire bunch of kale in the past 30 hours. The whole thing. By myself. Whatt??? I am not averse to vegetables, but I generally struggle to get in my recommended daily allowance. Until this...

Lemon Kale Chips. Holy holy. These are divine. They fulfill my deep-seeded need for salty, crunchy nosh while also serving up a heaping of superfood.

here are the directions, courtesy of those geniuses at Tastykitchen.com

• 1 bunch Kale (prepared And Washed)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• ¼ teaspoons Celtic Sea Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.
Chop kale into ½ inch pieces.
Place kale in a large bowl.
With hands, massage oil, lemon juice and salt into the kale.
Place kale on parchment-lined baking sheets.
Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes until kale is dark green and crispy (Shauna from Gluten-Free Girl has a great Baked Kale Chips recipe on her site. She says the 12-minute mark is the perfect done time.)
Cool and serve.

I'll be honest, I have had a hard time not just standing over the oven and eating them all out of the pan. And by that I mean, I stand over the oven and eat them all out of the pan.

Alright, last but not least, my current absolute favorite sweet treat....

I would literally pick one of these over most regular full fat ice creams. They are creamy, dreamy, and 100 cal!

And with that, I will leave you, my friends. I promise to be back in less than 3 months!

Live and love!

It's Friday night! I'm curled up on the sofa in my robe, drinking red wine and watching House with roomies and Mia. The weekend is staring me in the face and smiling. Oh, and it was 66 beautiful, blessed degrees today!!! Doesn't get much better than this.

My lovely redheaded friend, April does a fill in the blank on Friday's so I thought I would do it today too, hope that's okay, A!

Here goes:

1. The best piece of advice I was ever given was you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar

2. If I had a million dollars to give to one charity I would give it to schools.

3. If I got to choose my "last meal" it would be Fried chicken with a side of

pancakes and bacon, some linguine with pesto, biscuits, macaroni and cheese, and mint chocolate chip ice cream. And more cheese. And foie gras. And gummy worms. Hey,

might as well go out in style.

4. My hair is longggg, blonde, and naturally curly. Right now it's in a knot on top of my head

.

5. If at first you don't succeed, do a shot of tequila, and try again with a smile on your face.

6. I have always been very eager to please. It's a blessing and a curse.

7. Oh....and by the way.... check out this badass

bathroom shot:

I think I like it because it's not really very bathroomy. I could like, hang out in there. Curl up in that fourth-of-july chair and read a book. How hot is that yellow lacquer chest of drawers?

Yall have a sexy weekend now, ya hear?

Roy G. Biv

I think I need to add a little variety to my color palette.

aiyaiyaiyyy.... This sweet vision is thanks to my sassy roommate, Josephine, who can be found here and also here and actually here too! She's diverse.

Well hello, future front door...

Hmmm. Maybe a more varied palette is not in the cards right now. Yellow is most definitely having a moment, so I will wring every last drop out of it.

Meanwhile, I know that this movie doesn't come out until August, but I could not be more excited...

Julia Roberts was such an inspired choice to play the lead role. I have always thought of Julia as someone who is able to portray grace and peace so naturally, and those are 2 adjectives that I immediately think of when I think of this book. If you have not read it yet, get your tootie to Barnes and Noble and grab it. You won't want to put it down.

And now for one more dose of pop culture:

HOLY SHIZ, only 20 more days until Glee comes back!!! Here's an analogy for you: Me:Glee::Whole World:LOST.

Why I should never be a weather girl

I packed up all my thick winter sweaters a week ago. I pushed my tall leather boots to the deep dark innards of my bloated closet. Since the first of the seasonal shipments at the Summit have arrived, I have obtained approximately 5 new sundresses. THIS is my time. My moment. I feel like I'm coming out of hibernation. So, a couple of days ago, my optimistic roomie, Shelly, and I got ballsy, and decided to turn OFF the heat. It was Friday. It was sunny and 70 degrees. We were high on that groovy weekend feeling. And I'll be DAMNED if we will turn that heat back on again until fall rears its fugly head. No matter that my room feels like a cabin on the Titanic as it was sinking to the floor of the ocean. I have a down comforter. I'll survive. I was feeling particularly unsinkable this morning when I woke up and ventured outside of the fluffy marshmallow blanket that keeps me from succumbing to hypothermia each night. I swung open the squeaky door to my closet, and went straight for my cheeriest, gauziest, floraliest new sundress and my yellow, pearl embellished cardigan.

YES. I KNOW. I heard it was going to be cold today. I heard it would be dreary and drizzly and 40 something degrees, but I view my wardrobe choices during this obnoxious, wishy washy season as a big "eff you" to Mother Nature for screwing with my sunshine. And really, how bad could it be? I donned my adorable new khaki trench coat, feeling like Lois Lane, and slipped into some golden open toe flats. Soon, I was boppin' out the door and down the sidewalk to my car. Within seconds, I was accepting the possibility that I would lose my left pinky toe to frostbite.

DANG.

I need SUMMER. I need LAKE. BEACH. Let me bask in the sun.

Give me a day where it's so oppressively hot it feels like someone had thrown a wet washcloth over your face every time you open the door. I'll take it. I'll take it and I'll like it. Give me a margarita on the patio. Give me a lazy afternoon at the bow of the boat. Really, I'm an excellent hood ornament.

Anyway, enough whining. Here's some design porn for you:

how great is this kitchen?

saw it on design*sponge and fell in lurrrrve. Great light. Buttery yellow walls. Original cabinets from the 1930's. And that fridge. Mama mia. Plus, the countertops? They're stained maple. How sexy is that. You thought they were raven black granite, didn't you? Puh-lease.

If I lived in Miami, I would have a room like this:

So Golden Girls. I'm Blanche. Shelly is Rose. Josie is Sophia. I think maybe George the Cat is Dorothy.

What IS this?

This morning, something strange happened.

I woke up from a miserable nightmare in which I witnessed the world end over and over (recently saw The Road...I don't recommend it)

Try as I might to snuggle deeper into bed and watch E News Weekend with an unusually snuggly George the cat, I wasn't feeling. I was wiggly and could not even focus on Giuliana's hard hitting news story about Kendra's shady past. The rest I had been craving and planning for this morning was not to be had. I was in a maddening state of UNrest. Rolling out of my fluffy blue bed, I grumped my way out into the hallway of our apartment and stood for a good 30 seconds, trying to figure out what the hell I should be doing to get this jitter bug out of me. I grabbed a Diet Coke (breakfast of champions) and assessed the situation. While I was sipping on my lifeblood of DC and deciding, I grabbed a rag and wiped down the kitchen counters, which is a bizarre habit I have picked up in the last year or so. I then noticed that while the counters were clean, the stove top could use a good scrub, so I knocked that out quickly, only to find that the squeaky clean counters and range made the inside of the sink look glaringly dingy. Moving on to the bathroom, I again wiped down the counter, which led me to discover that the mirrors were smudgy, and then to find that the floor could use a once over. After about 20 minutes on my hands and knees, and not in the fun way, I looked around and found that the bathroom was great, but my shelves on the linen closet were a painful disarray.

Somewhere around this time, I figured it out. The thing I needed to do was SPRING CLEANING! And I was already on a roll!

Two hours later and I've tidied, done 2 loads of laundry, refolded all my towels, reorganized underneath the sink and in the medicine cabinet, vacuumed, lit candles, cleaned out my junk drawer (epic), and taken out endless bags of trash. George is eyeing me warily, wondering if he might be next on the cleaning list. But since I value the skin on my forearms, he's safe today.

Now, I'm sitting contentedly, watching the Harry Potter marathon and ravenously gulping down sauteed green beans and red peppers with whole wheat pasta that I whipped up for myself. Who am I? Martha Stewart?

The only problem is, the lovely apartment is divinely clean, but I am filthy. And guess what the one thing I didn't clean was?

The Tub.

Oh well!

On to the fun part of my Saturday: purchasing this-

on DVD

and perhaps my new camera!

And also taking advantage of the 30% off coupon I have for Banana Republic, Gap, and Old Navy all weekend long!

Sprung!

Spring, I mean! It's sprung, and I'm in love with it. I belong in these seasons. Spring and summer, come and never leave please. Winter is for the birds. I am so tired of my cold weather wardrobe I could just throw it all out. On a cheery note, my closet would like to give a warm, loving welcome to this little darling

She made her way into my heart and my wardrobe on Tuesday, so of course, I wore her last night, regardless of the 40 degree (WTF?!) weather. Thank you, Target, for caring what your clothing looks like and having the presence of mind to carry fawesome brands like Liberty of London for those of us Target snobs who frequent your aisles way more than our bank accounts like to admit.

Meanwhile, have you ever had one of those truly delicious afternoon drives? The sun is shining, the sky is blue and full of juicy, marshmallow clouds, and you just beebop down the road, jammin' to some James Taylor and poppin' your bubblegum. There is no traffic in sight and you even put down the window a little bit to let the breeze catch your hair. Yeah, that was me this afternoon. I should probably tell you, this:

is what I drive. Yep. I'm THAT girl. In the yellow submarine. Only this isn't a submarine. It's a yellow Sexterra. You read that right. It's a limited edition. Be jealous. She and I have been together since I graduated from high school and we are very happy. We have similar interests: rough rides, sunny days, outdoorsy boys, and classic music.

Speaking of boys...

hmm. All that red just looks like a Christmas present waiting to be opened. Don't lie. You were thinking it too. Although it looks like he may be missing his left hand. I guess that doesn't matter so much. I'd still take him.

SHOP

I've been in the market for a new camera for a while now. I'm not a pro, but I take a good amount of photos, and would like to take more of design projects that I do, and the point and shoot just isn't doing it for me anymore. So, I'm thinking it's time to upgrade to the snazzy digital SLR. I did a little research, and it seems that I have 3 front runners.

The first one is quite a pretty penny, but it was recommended by The Pioneer Woman so it must be good! That woman is a photo genius and I would love to emulate her work. And her red hair. But with my skin tone, that's just not meant to be. Anyway, she says this little baby is the bomb dot com:

The Nikon D5000. It looks serious. It looks complicated. I would love to strap this baby around my neck and travel the world. But do I NEED this for my little old Alabama, pillow tossin' life? Am I that serious? I can buy a LOT of shoes for 629 buckaroos. You know what I'm sayin. Then again, I think cameras are one of those things that you don't want to skimp on. And Uncle Sam was nice to me this year.

Option 2: The Fuji Finepix S1500.

It's the more cute and compact version of serious. The reviews say it's the next best thing to a dSLR. and at just under $200, it leaves a little more wiggle room in my shoe budget. It would also look adorable with a cute strap around my neck (fixation). But the lenses aren't changeable. It leaves less room for me to grow as a photographer, but let's be honest, I would probably be more comfortable using this right out of the box, whereas the other guys would most likely require some study.

Last but not least and the winner in the Miss Congeniality department:

The Canon EOS Rebel T1i

I'd be lying if I said the name didn't have me at hello. I mean, its THE REBEL. I fancy myself a bit of a rebel actually. No matter that I arrived at least 15 minutes early to every class for the entirety of my school career, I am working on my national census form (it's required by law! Fill it out!), and going over 75 on the interstate makes my blood pressure rise. I AM a rebel. So initially, I think this might be the one for me. It's the front runner within it's brand, comparable in price to the Nikon model, and wins better than average points in the strap-around-my-neck category due to the fact that it looks slightly more symmetrical than the other 2 choices. I'm thinking a red strap would be adorable.

But really, what do I know? My current camera was

a gift from mi padre et Rona and the main reason I like it is because it's blue and fits in my purse. So, what do you think? I'm sure someone out there has an opinion about this. Have any better suggestions?

In other news...

stop the presses!!!

J CREW HAS ALL DRESSES 20% OFF ONLINE FOR 3 DAYS ONLY

This little doll has my name all over it...

But then again, so does this one...

...well, there goes the camera debate!

Maybe next year!

Off to play a rousing game of Presidents!

Buona sera!

Sunday on a Tuesday evening

Well, here it is. My first blog. I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you a little bit about myself. You probably already know this if you're reading this, because if you're reading this, it's probably because I yelled across the apartment at you to READ MY BLOG!

Here are a few little tidbits about me:

I love my life. I know that sounds kinda ridic, but it's true. Incredible friends I would do anything for, awesome family that would support me if I wanted to fly to the moon (but not get a tattoo or dye my hair orange), job I'm obsessed with. I'm so lucky, it's sickening.

I love art of all types. Fashion, design, decorating, makeup, it's all good in da hood! I have a degree in Interior Design and use it some in my job, but also as a hobby.

My signature color is YELLOW. I mean, sunflower, road sign, mustard, lemon, smack you in the face smiley yellow. It's on my car. It's my attitude. It's a way of life. And most days, you will find me wearing at least one yellow something. I fear that it's getting a little weird. Growing up in Chattanooga, there was a lady who everyone knew about called The Purple Lady. She had a purple Cadillac and a purple fur coat and she sunbathed in the nude in her backyard. I don't know how one was related to the other, but she was a bit infamous. Am I there yet? I hope not. Please tell me if I am. These steps are my absolute dream. I think I would be in better shape if I had them because I would walk up and down them all the time! Picture sent via Design Sponge by the lovely Sarah

I am annoyingly tall (5'9" and three quarters), blonde, and sassy. I could make friends with a tree stump. If you ever call me an amazon though, don't expect me to talk to you again. For realz.

I am entirely boy crazy. At any given time, I have at least 5-7 crushes, two of them being Channing Tatum and Anderson Cooper. If flirting were a sport, I would have lettered in varsity.

Rawr. Anyway, I guess that's it for tonight. Good night Channing. Good night bloggies. Good night moon.

Tomorrow: in search of a kick ace camera!