Ginnifer Goodwin via NYP. Casual, cute, comfy, chic…love it!
The other day I was looking at the lovely blog Apartment34. While Erin, the owner of the blog, is off getting hitched she asked some of her favorite bloggers to share the things that bring them joy. Sometimes it’s really good to look at your life and recognize the things that truly bliss you out.
Here mine goes! (In no particular order)
Warm Weather
Sun-drenched afternoons, midnight swims, baseball games, picnics, sundresses. This girl loves summer.
Girlfriends
My girlfriends mean everything to me.
Food
Food and the dining experience. Long conversations over dessert and wine. Meals that make you appreciate being alive. Trying a new recipe and knocking it out of the park. Fresh fruit. I believe in eating for sustenance of the soul.
Being a girl
Makeup. Tulle. Smoky Eyes. Sky-high heels. Baubles and bangles and berets and belts. Hair -curly or teased or straight or up. I love being a girl because of all the wonderful things a girl can be.
Reading/Learning
Becoming more aware of the world through the words of those capable of expressing amazing, insightful things.
Everyday Luxuries
![ldv-gp-dresser[1]](https://i0.wp.com/lh5.ggpht.com/_FfZMBBaCF8w/S9e8ICpJexI/AAAAAAAAKu8/mGAQnUQ4jsc/ldvgpdresser1_thumb.jpg)
Fresh flowers, laughs, puppies…
Winding down
![ldv-gp-love[1]](https://i0.wp.com/lh4.ggpht.com/_FfZMBBaCF8w/S9e8L-R9S8I/AAAAAAAAKv4/rdibS2HvWio/ldvgplove1_thumb.jpg)
Crawling into a clean bed, lounging on a rainy afternoon, sleeping in, the few moments before you drift off to sleep…
Adventure
I’m talking travel, music festivals, float trips, a new thrift shop or restaurant. I try to go on adventures often and whenever possible. It keeps life fresh, exciting and provides great photo opps!
Music
Music feeds my soul. Discovering a new band or song can make my whole day turn around. Concerts, instruments, singing…I couldn’t live without it.
Merriment
Whether it’s a holiday, a birthday party, a job well-done or just the weekend. I love to celebrate, drink champagne and enjoy life’s happy moments.
Love
The love of my sweet-as-pie beau, my family, my puppies…love is the thing, you know?
My friends and I have always had a mild obsession with MK & A Olsen. “The unofficial biography of Mary Kate Olsen New episodes every Monday and Thursday”. These webisodes are so hilarious. Thanks to Elements of Style for introducing me! See more here.
Elaine Carroll’s character reel (the multi-talented writer/director/star)
Don’t you love having friends that are like family? When you go to their house, you feel like you’re home? My friend’s parents’ house is like that for me. We had dinner over there last night and I couldn’t help daydreaming about the sunny afternoons and warm nights of the upcoming summer.
Beautiful weather +
Lots of friends and sunshine +
Champagne +
Pretty clothes +
Gorgeous surroundings +
Laughs +
More laughs & big hair +
Yummy food & crystal +
= Bliss
Images from Apartment34, Plush Palate and {this is glamorous}
Hello! I’ve been away at the beach as I mentioned here. It was lovely and I got a bit of a tan. But, it’s Monday and that means…back to work!
I discovered two noteworthy things while away.
1. I started and finished the most lovely novel: Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. We are reading it for my book club and once I realized the context in which it was written, I was blown away and couldn’t get enough. Nemirovsky writes of the mass exodus from Paris when the Nazis invaded with clarity and poise which is particularly intoxicating because she was writing it as it happened. She was murdered at Auschwitz in 1942 and the novel remained unknown until 2006, when it was published. Go here for the NYT review.
2. Some gorgeous vintage jewelry via Charleston Magazine.
I’m dying over this ring with the yellow topaz but can’t find it anywhere on the website of the jeweler, Joint Venture Jewelry. I did, however, find all of these gorgeous (and affordable) rings!
The magazine also featured Kwait Vintage Collection and I’m not sure what to do with myself!
I also found Croghan’s Jewel Box, Buckar and Skatell’s.
Hope you had a lovely weekend!
Mom & me back in the day
Mother’s day is nearing and we all love our mamas. I thought about my relationship with my mom the other day when she was upset with me about something (doesn’t actually happen often now that we don’t live together) and realized for the millionth time how special it is. Like most girls, my mother was my main female role-model as well as who I aspired to be as a child… and like many girls (unfortunately) my parents were divorced. So that was definitely the catalyst for my mom to become my predominant parent. We’ve always been close, but it’s so interesting how that relationship changes as the child -me- becomes an adult. Since I’m completely supporting myself and have been for almost three years, she’s taken on the role of mentor/friend, but that doesn’t stop her from resorting to mom-mode every once and a while.
My 10th birthday
My mom has had such an interesting life and the most exciting part about it is that she’s entering a really exciting phase now. She’s got great things happening in her work, she looks amazing and she’s even dating again – for the first time in about seven years. When I think about it, there’s no other woman in my life that I know as well or that I’ve truly been through everything with, she almost provides a blueprint for me to use in my life. Here were the right decisions, here were the wrong ones. They’re there in my memory for me to personally to decipher and almost to judge – what to learn from or do differently as well as what to use as “gospel” for my own life. My mother is the only woman I feel I can truly know what she’s gone through. But, as I write this and think about my mom’s life, it almost reinforces how much I have yet to learn about her.
She’s the most amazing woman I know, so I feel pretty lucky to have her. Plus, I’m counting on her genes to look as good as she does at almost 57!!!
Mom & me - Recently
Love you mom!
First of all, I can’t stop listening to this:
As I mentioned, Mom and I are going to visit little brother in Charleston, SC. I’ve just checked the forecast and it looks like we’re in store for sunny days and balmy nights (yes!).
Here is what I believe to be essential for a 5 day/4 night trip to the beach!
Inspiration:
I’m fixing to move. My gal-pal Lo, our combined three dogs and I are surfing craig’s list and stalking downtown Fayetteville for a new pad. Fenced backyard = must-have. I’ve got a lot of stuff in storage and so does she, my current living situation was basically furnished (all but bedroom) when I moved in. So, I’m DYING to make a space my own and make it stylish. Pooring over Lonny and Elle Decor and my favorite blogs has got me even more excited.
Do you know about West Elm? Do you wonder why I don’t know about West Elm? Thanks to Lonny, I’ve noticed they have some really awesome things and amaze prices. I’ve also been perusing Z Gallerie, IKEA, crate&barrel and would love to share some of the things I’d like to include in our new place.
I’m going to aim for a courtyard like this…
I’ll need a room to house all my books, quite like this one.
Our living room will need to look something like this
Def going to copy the dark blue walls idea for the dining room.
The kitchen will look something like this.
The backyard and sunroom will probably be like this
And my bathroom will have to look like this.
From West Elm I definitely need this bar cart, diagonal rug, mirrored coffee table and leather tufted headboard.
From Z Gallerie I need this dresser, this chandelier, this floor mirror, the elephant painting and some new champagne flutes with which to toast!
A round French oven from Le Creuset
We’ll probably need this Spartan Daybed from Restoration Hardware for our relaxation out of doors, and I’ll need the soaking tub because – just because.
The Window Shopper 