doggoneit!!!

well, nothing craps on your excitement for spring plans faster than snow coming! don't get me wrong though i do love the snow, mostly because here in the south it's a bit like a mysterious character in a fairy tale; elusive and rare. i'm sure if i had to live with perpetual snow and cold like they do in northern climes i would be pretty pissed at this point in the year. well OUR weather report calls for snow tomorrow. i have a feeling this time it's actually going to happen. call it a witchy sense but i feel it in my bones. that's ok though, because true to atlanta fashion it will be gone the very next day and most likely 70 degrees the day after that. i will post pictures though if it does!!

on your marks, get set...SPRING!!

walking outside to put a check in the mail this morning i was struck by how refreshingly spring-like it was! it put a little kick in my step as i hopped back up the stoop to my door. and then looking around my stoop and door and grass (or lack thereof) etc... i noticed just how horrible it all was!! moldy porch roof, dusty porch floor, smell of cat shit next to the hose (that's where our cat maggie relieves herself-we figure its better than the jute rug in our living room as she obviously finds a litter box repulsive), not a potted plant in sight!! all this was decidedly UN-springlike and took the kick out of my step to be sure. well it didn't take long to find a few beautiful images to inspire a project or two. and a book to boot!! check it...

here are a few spring projects i have in store in the next few weeks...cleaning and re-organizing my pantry a la see through jars and containers.. i want it practical AND pretty! cleaning and re-organizing my laundry area a la see through jars and bottles...again practical AND pretty! cleaning the windows in my house- inside and out (which will also include scraping away rotted wood im sure-my house is almost 100 years old and so are the windows), scrubbing the porch ceiling and floor and as a reward planting loads and loads of flowers and herbs!! i can't wait. makes my heart flutter with excitement!

i want you very badly

you are a sofa. a beautiful, new and very expensive sofa. two grand expensive. but i saw you today in the crate and barrel window and you were so perfect looking i had to come in to flirt a bit. i sat on you and could tell by your give that you enjoyed it too. i am afraid this picture does not do you justice. in person you looked less white and more natural. but your pinched edges gave you just the deconstructed look that a girl like me always dreamed of in a sofa. i love your thin arms and low proximity to the ground. you would look so good in my tiny living room. sigh.
heave. sweat. i could do sooo much with you...lay, eat, sleep, 'it', watch tv. farewell my (washable) slipcovered hot bitch! i won't give up on you though. i will not.

i'm liking this...

i love the color of the house with the turquoise window frame. and that grid fence is just calling for some lovely sprawling vine like morning glory or moonflower. my own house looks a lot like this in style, and layout. but it needs a lot of work to look like this one. paint, landscaping etc...i am thinking of this as a possible option though..any thoughts?
*do click on the flowers above to get the overall visual.

lets get right to it shall we?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHH!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

weekend at sophia's? is someone behind her holding her up? props on the body though. 74 people...74.

and there are no words to describe my disappointment here. no words. other than HAAAATE!!!!!!!!

kate...you look 10 years older than you are. which is 34. i'll bet if you touched that helmet it would feel like a helmet. fuck you kate! it hurts to say that.

there is effortless good like this-

and there is effortless bad, like this-

even that guy in the background is wincing. thank goodness she changed that awful dress for the vanity fair party but her hair looked worse!!! is it possible?...

yes..it is.

and slit at oscar is bad-

so are extensions alicia. especially ones that look as if they came out of the box, curls still intact.

and heidi you don't get off that easy either...model or not that hair is fucking awful and you should be slapped. it looks as though someone glopped two palmfuls of gel in their hands, saturated your hair with it and then went to town with a flat iron. i hate them and i hate you for looking like euro trash.

miley and marisa, i'm not sure how i feel about you. at first glance your dresses are fabulous but then i feel like i lose YOU in them. too much dress for such small people. the jury's still out...

angie and annie...pretty...but that's about all i can say really. i can't really say boring b/c i think boring often gets confused with simple and pretty. but i do think angie is a bit on the boring side, more so than annie. love the green rocks though!! that punch of jade with that black works a treat.

ok so on to my two favorites. first penelope. so so so pretty. she is a cut above everyone every single time. that dress, BTW, is 60 years old! and she picked it out 8 years ago. how is that for confidence? the hair is perfect too. she manages to combine cute, sexy, beautiful, playful and elegant like no one else. this is a gift. not something you can buy or hire. hearts and unicorns forever penelope. sjp you look fabulous. the hair is great. albeit a bit too perfect. i would have liked to have seen it a bit softer in the curl department. but the dress is super duper. its mint green. MINT GREEN! only sjp can do mint green. it's classic and modern all at once. and it suits her so well. the second picture shows the mintiness better.

ok...on to the worst of the worst. we have already discussed kate's misstep. and jessica biel's satin sheet sack glob of shit. but lets move on...

first to the scary...

for fucks sake. if i saw her in person i would pick her up and throw her across the room just to prove a point. which is...that i COULD pick her up and throw her across the room. (this is at an awards party. obvi) note to lindsay's mom: you need to do better. BE better. you are a fucking loser mom and the real person that needs to be tossed is you. into a wall. hard.

moving on..

despite the orange scarecrow inside it the dress itself is gorgeous.

this is not so much scary as it is wrong for a girl her age. the hair is beautiful. the dress is not. it is hackensack-new-jersey-prom-dress bad.

all she is missing is a crab shell purse and some seaweed wrapped in her hair. and not only does this dress suck, but it doesn't even fit her!!!! she needs to be punched too.

and last but not least...drumroll please....

ok...so it's not so much the dress as the trainwreck inside it. madonna has finally joined the circus freakshow. too much exercise does NOT do a body good and haven't you seen enough pictures of nicole kidman and meg ryan to know that altering your face like that is not pretty?! nice man chin.

gollum arms.

spring cleaning

while images of powdery scrubs and lavender water are indeed dancing through my head from the post title, the spring cleaning i am referring to is an internal one. i feel its time people. a glass (or 2) of wine almost every day and LOADS of butter are starting to take their toll...that extra 5-10 lbs, my skin, general overall loafishness. while i could not and would not EVER do a master cleanse (unfortunately insulin dependant diabetes prohibits it, that and the opinion that it might be far worse for you than loads of butter) i WOULD do a strict diet-y type cleanse thing-y.
gwyneth "goop" paltrow has a blog too called....goop. her initials or something, although i can't for the life of me figure out the "oo". olivia octavia? anyway...she talks about this cleansing diet she went on based on dr. alejandro junger's book clean. not so bad really. actual food, albeit no traces of dairy, sugar, caffeine, wheat, and processed foods (soy included). it lasts for 7 days and i will definitely have to adjust my insulin, but i am going to give it a try. i've asked my husband to do it with me. we'll see who lasts longest. truth be told i think its a pretty even playing field. he hates to lose weight and i hate being hungry.
so here's a link to the diet- http://goop.com/newsletter/15
plan to start march 1st. hope i don't kill anyone.
will keep my 4 readers posted.

sea view

love this idea. if you don't have an ocean view...create one damnit! LOVE it!!

hubba hubba

can somebody please tell me when kate winslet became so frigging gorgeous? i mean she has always been pretty and i am sure in person she has always been a knockout. but by hollywood standards hasn't she been...well...a little average looking? just like the rest of us?

well not so anymore...holy shitstain!!!

(this one's for my husband who is probably stroking his phase shifter as we speak)

not so average anymore.

house beautiful

the new issue of house beautiful is out now and i picked it up today. this is a good shelter mag, it's just that its insides are bursting with the homes of the insanely rich. i mean apart from the custom made everything, when i see 3 hu-normous bottles of jo malone on any sink i think...sick rich. good for them though. i'm not hating any woman for proudly displaying her 3 gorgeous bottles of jo malone anything. i digress...the point here is i generally can't see myself in any of these homes b/c they are just too perfect and expensive. make no mistake though they are beautiful. anyway...i found a few images inside that gave me great inspiration plus a recipe that i will definitely make and a mortar and pestle that i covet.

i defy you to find a cooler mortar and pestle anywhere.





this gorgeous montecito home (hello oprah-town) belongs to...rich mcLoaded...no not really.. someone named christina rottman. she is a designer and she clearly knows what she is doing. i love her creamy, pale neutrals. my own house is pretty neutral . and i never tire of it. isn't the last picture of their "loggia" (here in the south we call it a porch) amazing? i want to go to there.




and this lavender sea fan is sooooooooooo pretty. i think lavender is my favorite color. well gosh darnit it is now!!!!



and this room, done by interior designer jeffrey bilhuber ,while it goes against my usual love of pale neutrals gives me a bit of a boner. i love dark walls too and this sooty black works a charm with those golden chairs.

and as promised here is the shrimp salad recipe (a la ina garten) i mentioned. the shrimp is roasted to give it a bit of extra flavor. i can't wait to make it.

ROASTED SHRIMP SALAD
Serves 6
2 1/2 pounds (16 to 20 count) shrimp 1 tablespoon good olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup good mayonnaise 1 tablespoon orange zest (2 oranges) 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice 1 tablespoon good white wine vinegar 1/4 cup minced fresh dill 2 tablespoons capers, drained 2 tablespoons small-diced red onion
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel and devein the shrimp. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and toss together. Spread the shrimp in one layer and roast for 6 to 8 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Allow to cool for 3 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. When the shrimp are cooled, add them to the sauce and toss. Add the dill, capers, and red onion and toss well. The flavors will improve if you allow the salad to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Otherwise, chill and serve at room temperature

isabelle bryer

aren't these gorgeous?

her name is isabelle bryer and she is from france (of course). there's more greatness here.

paint it black part 2

so i took a picture of the house i spoke about HERE and....here it is...





and i know my camera is the suckiest in town. i want this one. so if anyone out there is in a charitable mood..i'm just sayin'.

in case you were wondering...

the title of the blog comes from this...