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!