Our house

Do you have a favorite part of your house? Like you've put something together, and it just really works? Here are my favorite nooks in our home:

This picture is propped against the bookshelves in our living room. It was a wedding gift, and I just adore it...the bird candlestick was a hand-me-down from my parents. It makes me happy. And our walls are a really light, barely-there mint green.

Here's my other favorite corner...this is a hutch in our dining room. My grandmother gave me the painting, which is by a Mississippi artist. I'm fortunate enough to have two more of his paintings in our home. The lamp is an old one from Pier 1. The palm tree candlesticks are more hand-me-downs from my parents. I set our fine china on the hutch, and I think it works there. And to the side of it is our crystal. I didn't choose the "typical" crystal but wanted something a little funkier. What we chose was a little pricey, so as you can see we only have two goblets...hopefully we'll add more over the years.

Hint, hint

My husband doesn't read my blog, but if he did, I'd let him know that I'd like a bouquet of purple tulips like these for Valentine's Day. And I'm newly in love with anemones...something about the black center against the petals is so dainty and kind of unexpected.

Smart chick lit

I've always been a fan of what I like to call "smart chick lit." Not the cookie-cutter chick lit with the overdone story line of girl working for a magazine in New York, girl dumped by boyfriend, girl finds even better boyfriend, and life is perfect again. Blech. Enter Emily Giffin. I was kind of wary to try her books, but I'm so glad I did. I've read them all, but her latest "Love the One You're With" is my favorite. I'm terrible at reviewing books, so follow the link if you're interested. Her newest, "Heart of the Matter" comes out in May, and I can't wait! And I know you can't judge a book by its cover, but I have to say I'm loving the purple...

Poor Rachel Zoe

Here's the thing...there have been a lot of rumblings in the blogging world about this particular photo that was recently taken of Rachel Zoe, telling her to eat a hamburger, to stop denying she has an eating disorder, etc. My particular favorite was the caption "Bananas. Eat some." There is no doubt she is undernourished, and I'd be shocked if she wasn't actually anorexic. All of that said, people need to be a little more sensitive. Eating disorders are diseases...they're a disease of the brain, and people tend to overlook those as not as important as diseases of the body, i.e. cancer, diabetes, heart failure, and so on. Her head is sick, and she deserves the same amount of sympathy that we give to others who are battling illnesses. My heart goes out to her.

I want...

I want a french bulldog puppy so bad (bad or badly? I should know, having a degree in English and all)...anyway, I have wanted one of these dogs ever since I lived in New York. They're the most precious little pups I've ever seen...look at those little bat ears! My husband says one animal is enough, and I can't seem to convince him otherwise. And they are pretty pricey...starting out at around $1,500. But isn't this face worth it?

Neck accessory

I just adore this scarf...it comes in loads of colors and looks lightweight enough to wear year-round. It can be found at Pretty Mommy.
P.S. I first spotted this scarf at A Cup of Jo.

Something to work on...

I like John Mayer, I really do...but he has GOT to stop making these faces when he performs!

Soft light

I could spend hours on end searching Etsy...you can find the most unique things for the best prices. I somehow stumbled upon Hannah Nunn's shop one day and fell in love with her lamps. They give off such a soft glow, and I think they'd be so pretty in a nursery. I don't have any babies, but this seems like the perfect night light for a baby's room...also think they'd be perfect in a bathroom...how nice to take a warm bubble bath with only this light in the background?

Golden Globe Fashion

The Golden Globes have always been my favorite awards show to watch...it's more laid-back than the Oscars, and I like that the show combines both TV and movie stars...also, the champagne flows freely during the ceremony, so it's fun to see what the stars might say! Here are some of the dresses that stood out for me (for both good and bad reasons):

Jennifer Aniston in Valentino: Yawn...she looks super pretty, but come on, pull out some color for an awards show, Jennifer! So tired of the black...

Julia Roberts in YSL: Um, is Julia walking the red carpet or is she heading to Sunday school?

Kate Hudson in Marchesa: The dress is perfection, but the stripper shoes cheapen the look.

Jennifer Garner in Atelier Versace: I'm torn on this...love the dress, but I'm not so sure if it's the best on Jennifer Garner...her figure is so boyish, I'm just wondering if she'd look better in something that gave her more of a waist. Love the hair, though.

Emily Blunt in Dolce & Gabbanna: This is my absolute favorite of the evening. I just think she looks stunning. And I love that she wore her hair down and flowy. So many actresses put it up for awards shows, and I think it looks a little more soft down.

Sandra Bullock in Bottega Veneta: It pains me to say this, because purple is my favorite color, but this dress looks cheap to me. It looks like you'd find it in the prom section at your local mall. I just hate the material.

Christina Hendricks in Christian Siriano: I mean, can you get any prettier? Her skin is just so flawless...I love the peach shade on her fair skin...I would've never thought red lipstick would work with this dress, but it looks perfect.

Perfect for travel

I'm really liking this tote by Longchamp. It comes in 14 colors, but my favorite (of course!) is the lilac pictured below. This tote would be just perfect for airplane travel. Longchamp luggage can be found at www.nordstrom.com

Depressing

The definition of depressing is spending half of my hard-earned paycheck on dental work. Thank goodness for insurance, but ugh...sadness...what do you hate spending money on?

Loves it

Gosh, how gorgeous is this bikini from Anthropologie? I love the colors, but I especially love the one-shouldered top...too bad it's $98 for the top AND $98 for the bottom! Ugh...I could never justify spending that much on a bathing suit...maybe no one else can either, and it'll go on sale? Here's hoping!

Business in the front...

I really wanted to like Kate Gosselin's new hair, because it's most certainly an improvement from what she did have, but I'm just not so sure...it looks kind of like a mullet to me. What do you think?

My latest obsession

I am a perfume addict. I've collected so many bottles through the years, and I love picking up old ones and taking a sniff...it can take me back to a certain moment in my life, and I just love that. CK One reminds me of driving around with my girlfriends in high school, with Phish or the Beatles playing in the background. Angel by Thierry Mugler reminds me of my sophomore year in college, drinking Amstel Light at Forrester's or some other bar in Oxford. And Creed's Spring Flowers reminds me of the year I spent in New York.

My best perfume find of late has been Elizabeth W’s Vetiver scent. Elizabeth W is a small perfumery out of San Francisco, but I found the scent originally at a store here in Jackson. The store no longer sells it, so I bought the next bottle through the perfumery’s Web site and got the sweetest note back from one of the owners, thanking me for my purchase and asking me how I discovered Elizabeth W. I like Vetiver so much because it doesn’t smell too girly or too sweet. It’s described as earthy and woody, balanced with scents of citrus and bergamot. Even if you’re not a fan of Vetiver, check out their other lovely fragrances at www.elizabethw.com Each bottle will only run you $35.

Our first Christmas

For as long as I can remember, I've sent out Christmas cards...this year, I decided to send out especially special ones...since it was our first Christmas together as husband and wife, I sent out a photo of us from our wedding...I hope to mail photo cards each year...and a tradition I want to start is to have each year's card framed...then we'll set them out each Christmas...won't that be fun to look back on when we're 80?

P.S. I ordered these Christmas cards at www.minted.com Check their site out...highly recommended!

O.M.G.

This totally made my day:

I is an adult...

I am officially an adult...today I met with a financial advisor and opened up my very own 403b (similar to a 401k)...it's amazing what saving money for retirement can do for one's mindset...I already feel more mature!

I heart candles

I simply adore candles...I burn them entirely too much, but yummy scents just do something to me. This holiday season, I've been burning the Slatkin and Co. Winter scent. It's nearly time to put those away, and in their place, I'm putting my two stand-bys:

Voluspa, Baltic Amber...combines amber, sandalwood, cedar, and vanilla. I buy these three-wick tins from Anthropologie, where they sell them for $18. Very worth it to me.

Henri Bendel, Vanilla Bean...Bath & Body Works sells these candles for $26...pretty pricey for a candle, but I do splurge and buy them from time to time. The scent is almost too good to pass up...vanilla bean combined with patchouli and jasmine. Yum.

And then today I purchased a Seda France candle...I've heard so much about this brand and have been wanting to try them out. I picked up the Malaysian Bamboo scent...it smells really crisp to me. The scent is described as a mixture of bamboo, amber, and sandalwood, and finished off with the floral scents of tangerine flower, jasmine, freesia, lotus, and tuberose. I just lit this candle, so I'll update soon on what I think! These retail for $30...I think they'd make a great gift...just look at the cute packaging they come in!

Love

What's not to love about this precious face? She's my rescue kitty, Samantha, and I really can't imagine my life without her.