Thursday report:

My back was killing me today. But in a weird way. Like, my bones felt like someone was drilling into them. It felt awesome.

So I came home, took some Advil, and made quinoa tabbouleh (added fried egg for more flavor and protein). Most amazing dinner ever. I already want to eat it again.

My hair was super gross today (because I've been neglecting to wash it for a few days now) so I put it up in three little buns at the tape of my neck. And it looked cute!

And having my hair in those buns all day made the most beautiful waves when I took it all down:

Apparently, I need to not wash my hair more often

New Reads:

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

From the inside cover:

"The one thing you can depend on in Cold Sassy, Georgia, is that word gets around -- fast.

When Grandpa E. Rucker Blakeslee announces one July morning in 1906 that he's aiming to marry the young and freckledy milliner, Miss Love Simpson -- a bare three weeks after Granny Blakeslee has gone to her reward -- the news is served up all over town with that afternoon's dinner. And young Will Tweedy suddenly finds himself eyewitness to a major scandal.

Boggled by the sheer audacity of it all, and not a little jealous of his grandpa's new wife, Will nevertheless approves of this May-December match and follows its progress with just a smidgen of youthful prurience.

As the newlyweds' chaperone, conspirator, and confidant, Will is privy to his one-armed, renegade grandfather's second adolescence; meanwhile, he does some growing up of his own. He gets run over by a train and lives to tell about it; he kisses his first girl, and survives that, too.

Olive Ann Burns has given us a timeless, funny, resplendent novel -- about a romance that rocks an entire town, about a boy's passage through that momentous but elusive year when childhood melts into adolescence, and about just how people lived and died in a small Southern town at the turn of the century.

Inhabited by characters who are wise and loony, unimpeachably pious and deliciously irreverent, Cold Sassy, Georgia, is the perfect setting for the debut of a storyteller of rare brio, exuberance, and style."

Penguin Threads

This fall, Penguin Books is releasing new editions of 3 classic novels: Emma (by my friend Ms. Austen), Secret Garden (one of my all time faves), and Black Beauty. The most amazing part? The covers are embroidered. I can't stop looking at the pictures. So beautiful. Done by the talented Etsy artist Jillian Tamaki, I am itching to get my hands on these.

images via Jillian Tamaki

5 faves:

Despite my (sometimes) expensive shoe buying habits, I'm not one of those girls that has to use department store beauty products. I've found that things found in the drugstore or Target actually work just as well, sometimes better, than that expensive stuff. Here are the five things that I can't live without:

1. John Frieda Frizz Ease Serum ($9.99) @ Walgreen's -- I usually let my hair air dry, so this is a necessity

2. Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 50 with Helioplex ($14.99) @ Walgreen's -- I'm fair skinned and burn easily so I need a daily moisturizer with SPF. Plus, I feel good knowing I'm protecting my skin from the damaging rays that cause skin cancer and premature aging. Its non-greasy feel and light scent aren't bad either

3. Tressume Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Protective Spray ($4.75) @ Drugstore.com -- when I do blow dry, flatiron, or curl my hair, I always use this. Keeps the heat from causing damage. And doesn't leave a residue on my hair or the tools

4. Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser ($8.97) @ Walmart -- my dermatologist turned me onto this cleanser and I've been using it ever since. Gets my skin clean without over drying. 

5. L'Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray Extra Strong Hold ($14.99) @ Walgreen's -- the. best. spray. ever. I am completely in love with this hairspray. I will never use another. It's so strong, it holds curl in my hair all day, something that no other spray has been able to do. But it's so light, my hair still moves freely. No crunch. And with a UV filter, it protects my hair from fading while keeping it looking fabulous.

Rue La La:

Speaking of shoe surprises, look at what was waiting for me when I got home from work this evening:

My new sunglasses and I are very happy with our new friends (courtesy of Rue La La.)

Sleep talking:

A few nights ago, I woke up suddenly in the night and couldn't figure out what had woke me. Andrew wasn't talking and Tillie wasn't dreaming. And then I heard it. Andrew was singing in his sleep. Well, it started out as mumbling to an unknown tune but turned into more of a humming. And then he said

"Yea, uh huh. That's what I thought. I thought so."

No idea what he could possibly be dreaming about. I tried to piece the puzzle together. Perhaps he was dreaming of being on that new singing reality show, The Voice. Who knows. But it was funny. Most definitely.

DV shoes from Piperlime:

I had a 20% off coupon from Piperlime, so I treated myself to these this weekend:

I've been after them for about a month now so I feel no remorse at making them mine. They're on backorder until April 19th though. So they should arrive just as I've forgotten about them. What a great surprise. And I love surprises that involve new shoes.

Asos:

I love ASOS. I could literally spend all day browsing. Here are my current faves:

Totally a '70s vibe going on here, but my wardrobe is definitely craving a little injection of these light and airy pieces for spring.

Liz Taylor, a tribute:

Can we just talk about Liz Taylor for a minute? I grew up watching her in “Lassie Come Home”, “National
Velvet”, “Father of the Bride”, and my favorite, “Little Women”. And when I got older, I watched
her play roles like Maggie in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, and I began to appreciate the unique blend of
characteristics that made her what she was. She was beautiful, loud, extravagant, incredibly strong, and
deliciously over-the-top with a laugh akin to a banshee. She was at times vulgar and strange, but she
marched to her own drum and showed women everywhere what it meant to be comfortable with who
you are.

There have been many times when I have looked at Liz Taylor, mostly during her Michael Jackson days,
and wondered what was going on in her head, but I never once had anything but respect and admiration
for her. She had real (as they say in “The Holiday”) gumption and she danced through life, enjoying
every minute of it. She was classy and I think a lot of women would be smart to take a few pages from
her book.

She did so much with her life, including her work with AIDS research and the world is a little emptier
without her in it. So join me in breaking out a little White Diamonds in tribute of Ms. Liz Taylor, a woman
who knew how to be a woman; a woman that (I like to think) I see in myself, even just a little.

Spring has sprung:

Happy first official day of Spring! We celebrated the weather by throwing open all our windows, taking Tillie for a nice long walk around the neighborhood, and enjoying deliciously cold Coke floats once the sun went down.

In case you were wondering, our weekend consisted of:

• all day marathon of WWII in HD with Schuck
• shoe shopping with Kat
• dinner and drinks at Cantina Laredo
• visiting our friends at the dog park
• some much needed relaxation time in front of a Harry Potter movie marathon

Apparently, this was the weekend for television marathons.

And while Andrew's on Spring Break this week (I'm completely jealous), we plan on:

• catching up on some sleep (him, not me)
• playing a long awaited video game that comes out at midnight tonight
• hitting the gym a little harder in anticipation of triathlon training
• making some more naan (we're obsessed) and gorging on it, thus erasing all the hard work done at the gym

There's still time to get out there and enjoy this amazing Spring weather. Go out for a milkshake, cruise with the windows down, or sit on the porch under the stars.

And don't forget to listen to the song at the top of this post. "Young Blood" by the Naked and Famous is a pretty good song. I discovered them a few weeks ago and have really enjoyed listening to the entire album. It's the perfect music for this time of year.

It's kind of a funny story:

This movie came to us last night, via Netflix. And after grabbing some dinner @ Layla's (our favorite), we sat down with some hot tea (Barry's) to watch it.

We really enjoyed it. I'm always ready for a good story about someone with psychological issues -- especially one that is based on a novel. And Andrew loves Zach Galifianakis. So this movie was perfect for us.

Watch it if you haven't already. It's pretty great.

J. Crew to come to Little Rock:

I just read an Arkansas Business article from Monday that says we're going to be getting a J. Crew in the Promenade this summer.

I get a little light-headed when I think about all the money I'll save on shipping.

Check out the article here. And get excited.

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day. I wish I we were drinking Beamish and Magners at the Castle Inn pub in Cork, Ireland with Kevin and Sophia (which is where we were when we heard Michael Jackson died, btw).

Good morning:

[via here]

So, this morning, I went to wake Andrew up (I'm his alarm clock) and he rolled over and started mumbling. I could tell he was still asleep because he does this very often so I said "what?" and he replied, still sleeping, with:

"Thank goodness they're not on the leashes. Like, you know."

And then he proceeded to make hand gestures like he was holding a leash and trying to yank it up and over, as if he were turning a jump rope for someone.

Few things are funnier on an early Wednesday morning than someone attempting to act something out in their sleep. I lost it. My laughing finally woke him up. He opened his eyes, said "shut up" and rolled back over.

But, oh boy, it was comical. I love a good show with breakfast.

This just in:

Did you see Glee tonight? OMG. Trouty Mouth -- best. song. name. ever.

For the Walkers:

A little nostalgia for K & L (but especially for L to make her feel better).

Tucker for Target:

I'm sure I've declared my love for Target many many times. However, lately, we've sort of broken up with the bullseye. Not that they aren't amazing, because they are, we just have had less than stellar experiences with a few of their products -- namely shoes and clothes. As a result of this decision to see less of each other (more of a one-sided decision), we have been looking to other outfitters to fill this need in our lives with more expensive (!) but higher quality products (hello J.Crew & Piperlime). But one thing I can't seem to say no to is Target's Go International designer collaborations. Going on right now is their celebration of 5 years of Go International. For a limited time, they're bringing back the best-selling dresses from each collection (Tucker, Zac Posen, Proenza Schouler, Rodarte, etc.) and Sunday started the adventure of finding the Tucker Signature dress in my size -- an adventure that encompassed two days and three different stores (with Andrew's help -- best husband award). After all that, I finally just ordered a smaller size online. So until it arrives, I have just been imagining all the different ways I can wear it. I know I'm obsessive and weird, but I'm also a girl. And I love clothes. It's a terrible combination.

I think the dress will look better with a brown leather belt. And I've been after those shoes for a few weeks now. I want them desperately. But they won't be available to ship until April 19th. So I'll wait just a little longer to order them. And then I will wear the mess out of them. This Tucker for Target dress is only $39.99 and is pretty much the exact same dress as this one going for $325 on Piperlime:

That's a savings of $285.01. Pretty impressive, Target.

P.S. I love Tucker.

Jeggings:

I hate jeggings. I don't care if they're made out of denim, leggings are not an appropriate substitute for pants. Natalie Dee gets it:

Joveralls -- because you don't look dumb enough yet.

Photoshop fun

I have InDesign on my computer at work and have been pushing for Photoshop and Illustrator for some time. Well, it finally happened yesterday afternoon and I have spent the whole morning playing with my new toys.

I've done some actual design work for something we're currently working on, but I've also been experimenting with new brushes and filters:

This may be just some old photo of us from our trip to Ireland, but slap some layers on it and BAM! it's much more dreamy and ethereal, exactly how I remember it in my head.

So, prepare yourselves to see all of the ridiculous things that I come up with as I re-familiarize myself with my old friend Photoshop. Who needs some stupid old iPhone photography app when I've got the king of all image editing software in my hands!

I need:

I spend way too much surfing the internet. And I come across the coolest stuff that I can't afford but absolutely must have. Like this bike:

And the these plates:

They look like buildings when stacked on top of each other. Genius! I would have already bought them if they didn't cost over $700! But aren't they the coolest plates you've ever seen?

Spring wardrobe update

March is turning out the be a tricky month. The trees are saying that Spring has arrived. They're lying. And I'm angry. But rather than lash out, I've decided to channel my rage into something positive: shopping. I will shop with Spring in mind regardless of the temperature. Because it has to come sooner or later. And when it does, I'll be ready:

Apparently, J. Crew has been reading my mind. Because so far this year, they are dead on with exactly what I've been craving for my wardrobe: faded chambray shirt, white skinny jeans, cropped khakis, and gauzy shirt dresses (Madewell). And Piperlime, my go to for pretty much anything, has got it going on this season with their selection of wedges and sandals. My summer shoe motto is this: celebrate the fact that I am a girl by wearing shoes that a boy couldn't get away with wearing (with the exception of wearing flipflops in the shower at the gym, of course). And man do they make it so easy.

Maps:

I want this pillow. I think it would be an amazing addition to our lives (and one day, our house). And it would look great anywhere: on a leather couch in a library, family room, pillow fort, kids' room (no, we're not thinking about having kids yet). But for $125, I'm pretty sure I can make this myself.

I love maps. Maps everywhere. Maps. Maps. Maps.

I want:

Roald Dahl's writing hut

"Is there anybody who hasn't at one time or another wished for such a place, hasn't turned those soft words over until they'd assumed a habitable shape? What they propose, to anyone who admits them into the space of a daydream, is a place of solitude a few steps off the beaten track of everyday life."

-Michael Pollan



"It is a cozy nest and just room in it for a sofa, table, and three or four chairs, and when the storms sweep down the remote valley and the lighting flashes behind the hills beyond and the rain beats upon the roof over my head—imagine the luxury of it."

-Mark Twain, in a letter to William Dean Howells, 1874

(Mark Twain's letters are some of my favorite things to read)

 

I will have one of these one day. Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll invite you over.

As promised:

Friday night, I spent the evening in front of the TV. There were shows to watch, quilts to snuggle, long work weeks to unwind from, and thanks to my dear Rimmy (currently residing on a Buddhist mountain in S. Korea), a very tasty snack to eat. The Crunky bar may seem like an ordinary Asian chocolate bar, but in reality it is so much more. An inside joke of sorts, the bar originally intended for me was eaten before it ever made its stateside journey. This one came via the Walker/Order care package and I had to exercise great self-restraint to refrain from eating it until this moment. But it was good. A lot like a Crunch bar if anyone's wondering. P.S. How rad are my glasses? 






Can I just brag on Andrew for a minute? Because I am completely proud of him. I signed him up as part of a relay team for the Little Rock Marathon with me and some coworkers and then promptly bailed, leaving him to run it alone. Not only that, he ended up running the longest leg (7.8 miles) with only about 2 weeks to train. I know, I'm terrible. But he did so fantastic, finishing in 1 hour and 5 minutes. And it was in freezing temperatures due to the storm two nights before and the cold front that came with it. So if you get a chance, drop him a line and let him know what a rock star he is.










And then after the marathon (and a celebratory late lunch at Layla's -- our favorite), we made these homemade Oreo's for dessert. And they are amazing. So amazing that someone commented on them today in the break room at work. Yea, we made them. From scratch. We don't eat any of that processed stuff around here.

It's coming...

I've got some great stuff to share with you including the story of Andrew's marathon experience, adventures in baking, and a Saturday night spent with a foreign candy bar. But I left my phone (with all the photos) at home so it will have to wait. Until then, here's this:

• this is the saddest story about a whale I've ever heard. Seriously, it made me want to cry.
• have a hard time figuring out how long to boil an egg? This site makes it so easy. Plus, it's cute.

And here's a list of things that make me happy today:

• getting my own supply of felt tip pens at work
• straws
• amazing people in the breakroom with my baking skills
• eating string cheese really slowly
• waking up under a mountain of blankets
• an "I can do anything" feeling that has surprisingly lingered longer than usual
• getting all my work "to dos" done before lunch
• swimming laps tonight! I've given up caring what the temperature is outside. I will brave the cold with wet hair. and I will be happy about it.

Johannes Nyholm video

We've been busy this week: lunch meetings, prepping for the LR marathon this weekend, Blue and You Fitness Challenge kickoff (we're going to win!), appointments, exams, and I've got a conference today and tomorrow here in Little Rock.

But even though we're busy (and especially because we're so busy), we make time to watch videos that make us laugh. Like this one:



"Swedish director Johannes Nyholm made this hilarious short film, starring his baby, about a middle-aged woman on vacation trashing a bar." It's terrible in a way, I know, but really funny too. I especially love the outfit -- fanny pack, stuffed shirt, crazy hat.