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.

Seriously? You're kidding, right?

I knew that yesterday’s inauguration of President Obama would bring all sorts of comments...some good, some bad. I thought I was prepared.

Right before bed last night, I checked my Facebook account, as I so faithfully do. [It’s sad, really.] And there it was. Seriously? No, seriously? My eyes must have read wrong. I wish they had. A status update said just this: Jane Doe “cannot believe our new ‘president’s’ middle name is Hussein! How embarrassing!” Hmmm...call me crazy, but I’m, oh, slightly more embarrassed that someone actually thinks this today, in 2009. And then that this person is so unabashedly unashamed of this statement that she would post it for her 700 or so friends to read.

To me, the reason our country is so great is because of just that...anyone can be president. Barack Hussein, George, John, Horatio, Sally, or Shalonda...

I do understand the passion behind politics. Believe me, I myself get very fired up about it. But at the end of the day, party affiliations aside, everyone in this great country should be so proud to have been a part of yesterday. It was a day to witness what makes the United States so grand. It was a day to witness how far our country has come...and then at the end of the day, I unfortunately had to witness how far we still have to go.

I, for one, am proud to say that my president is Barack Hussein Obama. And every American should feel that same way.

Forever scarred

Judy Blume was an integral part of my child- and tweenhood. Where would any of us be had it not been for Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret ?

I was at my parent’s house the other day, and I decided to scan the bookshelves in my bedroom. Just looking at the titles brought back memories from different times in my life. Like certain smells, certain titles have the ability to take me back to an exact moment in my past, causing me to laugh, cringe, or tear up...and many times, all of the above. My collection of Judy Blume books stood in front of me, evoking memories of that awkward time between puberty and my teenage years. After reading Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself, I decided to steal the heroine’s “creative” closing. When Sally wrote letters to her family, she would sign them “Love and other indoor sports, Sally.” I copied Sally, and am sure my family members were horrified when they received letters from me at camp using that same closing. I didn’t realize it until years later what that signature actually meant. Judy Blume had corrupted me, and I was essentially signing my camp tales of archery and swimming in a murky pond with, “Love and sex, Lindsey.”

Notably missing from my collection of her books was Forever. I can’t remember when I purchased Forever, but I imagine I did during a mall outing with a friend. Remember when our parents would drop us off for a few hours? And because cell phones didn’t exist then, we were told to meet them out front at a set time...not a minute late. Anyway, I imagine I was innocent (or somewhat innocent, at least) in purchasing Forever. I just saw it as a Judy Blume book I hadn’t read. So, I went home and read it, realizing immediately that this was not a book I needed to keep on my bedside table for my parents to peruse through. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of reading Forever, it’s about a teenage girl having sex for the first time. Of course that’s not what it’s all about, but that’s what made the book not appropriate for my 11-year-old eyes. I knew what I had to do, so I hid the book under my bed. My parents would never know, I thought.

A few days later, I was sitting in my bedroom when my dad knocked on my door. I had no idea what I was in store for. Dad said to me, “Lindsey, we need to talk.” I knew from his tone that it couldn’t be good. He reached behind his back and pulled my copy of Forever from his back pocket. He held it in his right hand, and tapped the book into the palm of his left hand, like the book was in trouble too. I’m sure my heart stopped at this moment, but all I remember is dad saying to me, “You know we don’t believe in premarital sex in this household.” I told him I knew that, that I had no idea what the book was about when I purchased it. I’m sure he said something like, “You didn’t read the back cover before you bought the book?” but due to the awfulness of this event, my memory of exactly how things transpired is somewhat hazy.

Dad ended the conversation telling me he was throwing the book away. He left my room, and I imagine I was unable to make eye contact with him for the next year or so.

In the end, Ms. Blume not only taught me about sex, but she gave my dad the perfect “in” for discussing his views on premarital sex with his young daughter...something I’m sure he never dreamed he’d be “fortunate” enough to do. I can officially credit Ms. Blume for the most excruciatingly embarrassing conversation I’ve ever had with my dad in my 28 years on this earth. Thanks for that, Judy.

Friggin hilarious

Tina Fey IS Sarah Palin! She even got the accent down pat!

Reflections on a happy childhood

My friend Katie commented on my Fudpucker’s blog below, mentioning the fact that when she and her sister were younger, they recited all of the lyrics to Salt-n-Pepa’s “Shoop” in the presence of their horrified father. It reminded me of my own Salt-n-Pepa experience.

I grew up in a neighborhood that was within walking distance of a few shopping centers. I spent many of my weekends making that short trek and would always visit Super D drugstore and Be-Bop Record Shop. One particular day I visited Be-Bop and bought Salt-n-Pepa’s “Very Necessary” album. I can only imagine the conversations the store’s hipster clerks had when I left the store. Here I was, a scrawny, very white 8th grader buying Salt-n-Pepa. I can pretty much predict what I was wearing...a Gap T-shirt tucked into khaki shorts that hit at the knee, complete with a braided belt that was looped a few times because it was too long...topped off with scrunched down white socks and loafers. Couple that with the fact that I went to junior high at Jackson Preparatory School and never missed Sunday school or youth group at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.

If only those store clerks knew what I did when I got home. I remember immediately heading to my bedroom and sitting on the floor in front of my boombox. I put the c.d. in and grabbed a notebook and a pencil. I listened to “Shoop” and “Whatta Man” over and over until I recorded all of the lyrics in my notebook. This took a few hours. Then I memorized the lyrics to each song. I’m not sure what the reasoning for this was, but to this day I can recite the lyrics to each song backwards and forwards. If only the store clerks could have seen me...sitting cross-legged under my pink ceiling and next to my ruffled Laura Ashley bedspread, I was perfecting my own rapping skills, spouting out, “You’re a shotgun bang...what’s up with that thang? I wanna know how does it hang? Straight up, wait up, hold up, Mr. Lover, like Prince said you’re a sexy mutha. Well, I like ’em real wild, b-boy style by the mile smooth black skin with a smile, bright as the sun, I wanna have some fun come and give me some of that yum yum chocolate chip, honey dip, can I get a scoop? Baby, take a ride in my coupe. You make me wanna shoop.”

Not a fan...

And now for the second installment, here are the 10 things I CAN live without:

1. Taking my cat to the vet
It scares the shit out of her. Literally. Each time we go, the vet has to scruff my poor baby to get her out of her carrier. Well, without fail, Sam poops during the process.

The hardest part for me, however, is prior to our vet visit. She’s always especially loving on those days and has no idea what I’m about to put her through. As soon as I pick her up, she seems to get it. And then she sees the carrier. I almost wish she’d try to fight me, but instead, she grips to me, like a koala bear. As I move her towards the carrier, she goes limp and effortlessly slides right in. It breaks my heart. I guess I finally understand the statement parents tell their children time and time again: “It hurts me more than it hurts you.”

2. Wal-Mart
I’m not one of those hippy dippy “I only buy local” folks, but Wal-Mart seriously gives me hives. I don’t know why I put myself through the pain of going there, and each time I go, I vow to never go back. The last few times I’ve entered the mega store, I’ve gotten so frustrated with the long lines and the lazy, inconsiderate people yapping on their blue tooths and blocking an entire aisle so I can’t get through, I’ve just up and left. Left my buggy and already gathered supplies (never frozen food...I’m not that bad) and huffed out. The only reason I ever go is so I can save a few bucks...I know I pay more for food at the grocery store, and I know Office Depot robs me in the school supplies department. But I’d rather pay more than go back to Wal-Mart.

I’m also probably still scarred from once seeing a barefoot man hoc a loogey on the already-nasty floors. True story.

3. People who don’t take the time of others into consideration
Just because you carry a purse the size of Texas doesn’t mean you’re allowed 10 extra minutes to dig for your checkbook in the grocery store checkout line while talking on your cell phone! Here’s an idea...put the phone down and find your checkbook before it’s your turn to check out! And you could even start filling out part of the check before it’s your turn...genius, I know! Or, and this is a little out there...you could join the rest of us in 2008 and use your debit card! [Sorry, I got off on a little rant there.]

4. Rodents
I’m a lover of all animals...all animals but rodents. I don’t know what it is, but they seriously make me gag. This includes but is not limited to mice, rats, armadillos, and possums. My little sister had pet mice growing up. We are obviously not cut from the same cloth.

5. Insomnia
Is there anything worse than tossing and turning? Especially on those nights when your body is so physically exhausted but your mind just won’t stop. And I’m never able to just turn the light on and read for a little while or watch TV. I always think, “If I just lie here a few more minutes, I’ll fall asleep.” Then I look at the clock and it’s 4 hours later and I haven’t slept a minute. It never fails, too, that I fall into a deep sleep about 1 hour before my alarm clock is set to go off.

6. Going to the OB/GYN
It’s something I have to force myself to do each year. It truly is the most humiliating experience to me. I just don’t get women who say they don’t mind it. And then there’s the conversation that goes with the exam. “So, it sure is rainy today, isn’t it?” When I leave the exam, it takes me at least a full day to psychologically recover. Uggh. I’d rather have a root canal.

7. Assessing Patients’ Bathroom Habits
Like going to the OB/GYN, it’s something I have to force myself to do. And I do understand the importance of whether or not a patient is having normal bowel movements. But I will never be comfortable entering a patient’s room for the first time, introducing myself, and saying, “So, how are your bowels moving?” My assessment usually goes like this:

Me: “Are you tee-teeing OK?”
Patient: “Yes.”
Me: “And how’s the other?”

If you want to tell me all about it, I don’t mind that one bit...I just have a hard time asking.

8. Bad drivers
I am a defensive driver...I swear, I’d be happier driving a cab in New York City than I would driving my car around town in Jackson, Mississippi. I really don’t mind people who drive under the speed limit...just please do so in the right lane. If you’re driving slow in the left lane and I see that you’re also on your cell phone, you might not want to look my way because I’ll shoot you the dirtiest look you’ve ever seen. And please, people, the yellow sign shaped like a diamond is not the same as the red sign shaped like an upside down triangle. Maybe they look similar to you, but the yellow sign does not mean yield! It means merge...which means keep moving, turn your blinker on, and merge into the lane!

9. 2 p.m.
I don’t know what it is about this time of day, but it’s so depressing to me. Lunch is over; you’re kind of tired, but you still have a ways to go before the end of the day arrives. And here in the South it’s just so hot and the sunlight is that bright, white shade at 2 p.m. that makes it impossible to open your eyes without shades. If I’m home, all of those trashy talk-shows are on at this time, and those make me even more depressed. Why can’t we go from noon to say 5?

10. Closeminded people
College towns in Mississippi are ripe with people who do just as their parents do. I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing. I just wish people would open their minds and think for themselves. Voting for George W. Bush might’ve been the right choice for your parents and/or your fraternity brothers or sorority sisters. But it doesn’t mean that’s the right choice for you. So before you slap that bumper sticker on your SUV next to your fraternity’s Greek letters, do some investigating. At least know what the guy stands for. And know what his opponent stands for. Then make your own educated decision and be able to stand up for the reasons you’re voting for candidate A versus candidate B. Don’t do it just because that’s what everyone else in your homogenous circle is doing.

That's enough griping for today. Stay tuned for the much happier list of the 10 things I'm really into right now. Happy Labor Day, everyone!