Happy Mother's Day

to all moms everywhere


and the biggest "I love you!" to my AMAZING mom!


(the very first photo of my mom and me-- taken on Galveston Beach)

Friday Favorites: Dream Home edition

Prepare to be overwhelmed by all things mid-century modern. With a little whimsy thrown in for good measure...

1. Big Chill Fridge (and they now have other appliances as well-- dishwashers and stoves!)





2. Eames Chairs

(I've written before about my obsession with Eames chairs. I'm talking about the molded plastic ones, not the souped-up leather armchair ones.)

Don't you love that Eiffel-inspired base?




And how cute is the rocking chair?



3. Wall art decals (by Popwall)




How perfect would this be in a boy's room?



4. Fancy tub

You can't go wrong with a classic clawfoot tub.



Or a soaking tub.



But here's a surprise!



No doubt inspired by Breakfast at Tiffany's....



5. an Airstream as a Guest House (or workspace)






What do you dream about having in your home one day?

"Love...

does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction."

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry



Katie ala The Neotraditionalist posted this little quote today on Twitter, and I've been musing on it all day.
It's not only a lovely sentiment, it's really, really true!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

To celebrate, we ate pizza and drank beer. OK, we would've had pizza and beer regardless of the day.
But don't worry-- it was good beer. Purple Haze, to be exact.

This is what it did to our hearts:



Salud!

Back in the saddle again.

I'm writing again, friends!
It's been a while, because to make a short story long, my novel and I had to take some time apart, but then we decided to be friends again, but it had been so long that things were really awkward. Everybody's been there, right? It got so bad that I would go to SCBWI meetings and worry that everyone could tell I didn't belong because I wasn't really writing.

So, thankfully, a writing friend told me about this little project that challenges you to write a short story every day in May. So I signed up and even convinced a couple other friends to join with me. We writers have to stick together!

So far, I've written three short stories: one YA, one MG and one picture book.
In case you noticed that today is the fourth not the third and you wondered, "What gives?" I decided to make weekends optional. Hey, I need to be realistic with my goals. Don't want to get saddle-sore, pardner.

Presenting the newest recipient of the Most-unusual, Most-delicious Chocolate Bar Award *

*according to Amy and Nathan's personal taste and opinion, multiple awards may be given annually, winners subject to change without notice

Just tried this spectacular chocolate yesterday, and all I can say is I'm in.



I typically gravitate to dark chocolate, not milk chocolate, but this bar is perfection. The salted peanuts really heighten the flavors of the creamy chocolate and the snappy jalapeno.

We're not ones to shy away from unusual chocolates, either. Mo's Bacon Bar by Vosgues Haute Chocolat may not be as delicious as Nathan's bacon ice cream, but it still finds its way into my grocery basket from time to time.



Also, the subtle lavender in New Tree's Tranquility bar is pure heaven.



Any unusual sweets or treats that you like to indulge in? Do tell.

Lazy Sunday

Yes, we've done a little bit of work today. But not much. Mostly, we were really lazy.
Just like Parnell and Samberg. Only instead of watching The Chronicles of Narnia, we're watching Arachnophobia on Scifi.



Now all we need are some cupcakes. Mmmmm. Cupcakes...

Have a lovely weekend.

Just wanted to share with you my favorite shot from Nathan's most recent photoshoot.



This weekend, we're celebrating Nathan's birthday with two outings. The first is a trip to a winebar. (Haven't decided amongst here, here, or here. Suggestions?)
The other trip will be to the Apple store to pick up this little beauty.

I also might be crazy, because I'm starting in on this writing project for the month of May.

What are you up to this weekend?

Friday Favorites: odds & ends

1. hedges of rosemary



"Attached to the back of the house was an enclosed courtyard, and beyond that a bleached white stone swimming pool. There were three wells, there were established shade trees and slim green cypresses, hedges of rosemary, a giant almond tree. In the afternoon sun, with the wooden shutters half-closed like sleepy eyelids, it was irresistible."

excerpt from A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
(the first time I read about and began to imagine hedges of rosemary. Since then, I've been lucky enough to see some in person. One day I'll have some of my own...)




2. espadrilles




3. the library

This is my actual library branch, you guys. Isn't it pretty? It's so amazing-- it feels like an airy, sunlit booktopia. Another fabulous thing about the Austin Public Library is that you can go online to reserve whatever book, CD, or movie you want, have it sent directly to the branch nearest you, and (get this!) they send you an email when it's available for pickup. Seriously! You can also get email reminders of when your materials are due, and if you need to recheck anything out, you can do that online. As I said, this place is heaven. Book heaven.


4. paper lanterns




5. lockets


Ever since the movie Annie, I've had a fondness for lockets. Isn't there something so sweet/nostalgic/romantic about carrying a tiny photo of your love inside a pretty piece of jewelry?



I've been eyeing these classic lockets by Carolina Bleu, a jeweler based in Bandera, Texas who sells at one of my favorite local shops, Parts and Labour.
I normally go for silver, but I really love the look of the copper ones...

Age before beauty

You guys, I started blogging in 2002. Eight years ago!
I'm not saying I didn't take months off at a time, but in blog years, this is the age of Pixiespace:



That said, I only recently changed my template,
updated the format so I could have followers,
and really got into trying to post every day.

So this is how old my blog feels:



I lied. It actually feels even younger.



OK, OK.



This is literally the Benjamin Buttons Blog.

It stands to reason that (fingers crossed) blogging will be around forever. Or, you know, at least until the Olsen twins are this old:



Happy Blogging-- and remember:
Your blog is only as old as you feel.

Staring at the sun

"The sun had never seemed so bright, nor the day so full of promise."
from Rebecca



On Friday, I finished reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. It was so gothic and brooding-- a mystery/pseudo-ghost story that really kept me guessing.

Then this weekend, Nathan and I watched the film version directed by Hitchcock.


It was good, but I must admit that I was a little disappointed. I definitely prefer the book. (I'd have to recommend reading Rebecca, but maybe watching a different Hitchcock film like Vertigo, North by Northwest, or Rear Window.)

Isn't it always that way? Which of your favorite titles were made into films that just didn't live up to the book?

This is only a test.

In honor of all the standardized academic testing going on this week all over Texas, I give you this little video, which I think is as hilarious (but not as worrying) as the infamous 911 warthog call.



Good luck and if you need help, don't hesitate to call someone.
Just maybe not during the actual test.

I demand a recount.

Your votes said that out of tests, laundry, spreadsheets and beets,
spreadsheets were the most boring.



In fact, spreadsheets received a whopping two thirds of the votes, whereas beets only received one third.



My husband did point out that beet chips are delicious, but that's beside the point. Have you ever one time been entertained by a beet? Be honest.

Some people did comment that they hated tests and despised laundry, but I didn't count those votes, since they didn't vote on the actual poll. I know-- just call me the Enforcer.

New poll for this week (be sure to vote over on the right)
What should be the topic for the next week's poll?

What is the most annoying?
Which decade had the greatest design/fashion?
Which vacation spot is the best?
Who is the cutest?


Be sure to vote or this scary lady will hunt you down.
And by "Tuesday November 4," she means "at some point this week."