Ranunculus

The Weather Channel tells me to expect rain every. single. day. this week. As long as I have this little bouquet in my apartment, I don't care what the weatherman says.

Wish I Were Here...

The past month has been a whirlwind of activity, capped off by a very eventful (in a good way) Thanksgiving weekend in New York with my family. And I've been working. A lot. (I even traveled cross-country for a business trip!)

I've decided that the best way to recover from all of this activity (and to prepare myself for the remainder of the busy holiday season) is to enjoy pictures of pretty interiors. Like this one:

via apartment therapy

Where I've Been...

In no particular order:

1. Work. It's been busy.

2. Catching up on Mad Men (really, Don?) and Boardwalk Empire (Atlantic City is no joke).

3. Italy! Last month, I spent 9 glorious days in Rome, Florence and Venice. It was amazing. My favorite part of the trip:

And that's basically what I've been up to. I know, these hardly suffice as excuses for a nearly two-month absence from the blog (ack!). But I'm back, and I will be better. There are so many things I've wanted to blog about (including Rue Magazine -- I'm in love with that publication!), and I am finally in a position to focus on the blog again. Yay! Perhaps this is a sign of maturity? I am turning 29 on Friday...

See you again here soon. Promise.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

image via Psychology Today (seriously!)

I couldn't be more excited about a 3-day weekend. My only plan? To relax as much as possible. And maybe to accomplish a few of the following items on my to-do list, in no particular order:

1. Give one of my IKEA Frosta stools a little more personality. (Maybe with black and white stripes?).

2. Check out the Barneys Warehouse Sale. (Last weekend of the sale = additional markdowns).

3. Brave the crowds and get a firsthand look at the John Derian for Target collection, which debuts in stores on Sunday. (If I want a chance at procuring anything at my neighborhood* Target-- Brooklyn's Atlantic Center store -- I need to get up in time to be there when the store opens -- at 8 a.m.)

4. "Window shop" at the Bloomingdale's Big Brown Bag Sale.

5. College football. College football. College football. (For more on my love of college football, check out Stilettos on the Gridiron, the blog I started -- and don't update as often as I should -- to celebrate, among other things, my love of college football.)

* I live in Manhattan, but it takes me less than 15 minutes to get from my apartment to the Atlantic Center Target by train. So it's in the neighborhood. Sort of.

It's Been a While...

Here's what I've been up to since the last time I blogged:

1. Working.

2. Hanging out with my brother, who came to visit me in NYC earlier this month (and helped me paint the wall in my dining nook).

3. Painting the wall in my dining nook (I had been on the hunt for a rich, chalkboard-y gray color for this area -- I finally chose Benjamin Moore's aptly named "Gray") .

4. Watching Northern Iowa pull the rug out from underneath my bracket (and not being that upset about it).

5. Working.

6. Getting totally caught up in parliamentary procedure during the various health care votes in Congress (thank you, C-SPAN, for giving me a guilt-free reality tv option).

7. Feeling disappointed to learn that I didn't make it to Target's Liberty of London "pop-up shop" in Times Square before it sold out. Of everything.

8. Wondering if I would look ridiculous riding one of those Liberty of London bikes around downtown Manhattan this summer.

9. Personalizing two of the four Frosta stools I purchased at IKEA by transforming them into matching two-toned "side tables."

10. Dreaming about warmer weather (and a wardrobe to go along with it).

I'm Back (Again)

I've been gone. For a very long time. I blame my absence on the holidays (spent with family in Florida - fun!) and an unbelievably busy stretch at work (spent alone (well, occassionally with my similarly overworked colleagues) in front of a computer - not nearly as much fun). Enough! Reading up on last week's Altitude Design Summit (and the amazing bloggers who participated) inspired me to stop making excuses for not blogging. And so I have returned. A few things:

1. What I'm Watching: Mark Sanchez and the NY Jets are playing in the AFC Championship game as I type this post. It doesn't look good for them. But no matter what happens, the Jets had an amazing run this season. And Mark Sanchez exceeded almost everyone's expectations for his rookie season. Go Gang Green.

2. What I'm Reading: Game Change. Whatever you've heard about this book is probably true. I've only just started reading Chapter 3, and I've already had to pick my jaw up from the floor 7 times. I still don't understand how Heilemann and Halperin gained access to all of the juicy details that drip from every page of the book. It reads like a hyper-intellectualized (and exceptionally long) "cover story" article in People magazine. And I love it for that. (P.S. I spent an entire week attempting to purchase a copy of this book in Manhattan. It was impossible to do so. Thankfully, Amazon has what seems to be an endless supply of them in stock.)

3. What I'm Not Believing: The National Enquirer is throwing its name into the hat for Pulitzer Prizes -- for its coverage of the John Edwards affair and the child he has now admitted to having with his mistress, Rielle Hunter. No, I'm not kidding. The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz explains here.

I've Been Bad

I seriously dropped the blogging ball -- my last post was over a month ago! For shame.

My excuse? September was the busiest month I've had in recent memory. Work was unbelievably busy, I was traveling out of town to visit my family and for special events, and I simply didn't make the time to blog.

This bad behavior changes today. I'm back, and so is Stilettos on the Gridiron. Starting this week, I'll pick up with the remaining installments of the Girl's Guide to the 2009 College Football Season. And starting this weekend, I will name the first Stilettos on the Gridiron college football player of the week (better late than never). And, if the news cycle continues to turn out unbelievable stories at the rate it's been turning them over the past several weeks (David Letterman? Khloe and Lamar? Jon and Kate?), then I'll be filling in the gaps between the college football action with random musings about whatever happens next.

In the meantime, and in anticipation of my return to the blogosphere, I'll be catching up on some much-needed rest. That and congratulating Brett Favre -- it looks likes everyone's favorite "retired" quarterback may be having the last laugh. Go figure (and go Vikings?).

The Summer Heat, Sports and Other Random Musings

About 2 weeks ago, summer finally arrived in NYC. I celebrated by incorporating a few of my favorite warm weather pieces into my work wardrobe rotation and taking an impromptu trip to the beach last Sunday (the beach trip was so I could wear my $5 floppy hat). Today, I feel like the dog days of summer have already arrived: It's 5:20 on a Friday morning, and I'm up, blogging and sipping limeade (seriously) because it's too hot and humid to be doing anything else. I'm sure I'll regret this in about 5 hours.

Anyway, since I'm up, I might as well make the most of it. First, a brief sports round up:

1. Brett Favre. I don't know what to say, man. First you retire. Then you un-retire. Then you retire. And now, you're un-retiring again? One thing's certain: You've proven yourself to be just as good at retiring as Jay-Z. The selfish part of me is excited; I'll certainly be watching more Vikings games this season than I would have otherwise. The un-selfish part of me wonders if this retirement business is bad for professional football. And for Favre.

2. Plaxico Burress. The Super Bowl winning-turned-gun wielding wide receiver pleaded guilty to gun charges yesterday, following last winter's unfortunate incident at a Manhattan nightclub. He'll spend the next two years in jail. What an amazing fall from grace. I'll never understand why Plaxico felt that he needed to stash a gun in his sweatpants to be safe.

In personal news, I've been encouraged to give sewing another go (follow my moderately successful mostly unsuccessful stint as a sewing student at FIT here). I've also started knitting again -- I've been "knitting" a scarf for the past 6 years now, but I really am motivated to make it happen this time. My new goal is to finish a scarf in time for my family's post-Christmas ski trip this year (totally doable).

I"m looking forward to a good weekend. I have tons of work to do, but that's not so bad. I'll be sure to make time for a few fun things, too. Plus, I've got a great Netflix DVD (Footballers' Wives, one of my all-time favorite British exports) coming.

Le Weekend

Another weekend is upon us. It looks like I'll have just a little work to catch up on this weekend, which means that I'll be able to cross some things off my "fun" to-do list:

1. Pick up a few new, fresh Apica notebooks at Kinokuniya.

2. Drool over what I hope is an impressive selection of beads at Beads of Paradise.

3. Venture to The Strand for vintage fashion and art books for my new "bookshelf."

4. Watch Confessions of a Shopaholic, my highly anticipated Saturday Netflix delivery.

5. Read last 40 pages of Confessions of a Shopaholic before watching it on DVD.

6. Stock my fridge with yummy treats from Whole Foods.

7. Grab drinks with friends.

8. Post pictures of my new apartment improvements on blog!

I'm Back!

It's been over two weeks since I last posted! No time to dwell on that fact; let's just correct it:

Last week, my parents made a much-anticipated trip to NYC and I spent the whole week with them. It was wonderful. They were kind enough to indulge my DIY obsession, and my apartment has never looked better. Thanks to them, I now have an accent wall in my living room and another in my bedroom (each of these walls has been totally transformed with wallpaper, courtesy of my dad), my wall art is now on the walls instead of in the "project" corner of my apartment, and my favorite wine glasses are suspended from a rack underneath my kitchen cabinets instead of tucked away in the cabinets. I promise to post pictures soon.

In other news, while this blog remains, for the most part, a politics-free zone, I just finished watching President Obama's press conference on health care reform. At some point over the past few days, it dawned on me that the health care debate is one that I should pay attention to -- I finally decided to do a little digging after hearing the term "single-payer health care" for the umpteenth time and being frustrated -- for the umpteenth time -- that I didn't really know what it meant. Now, I am more informed, but also confused. There's no question that as-is, the American health care system is underperforming. And that's unacceptable. I'm anxious to see how the debate plays out.

Wimbledon Update. Oh, and Happy Fourth of July!

I'm in DC visiting family and enjoying a little rest and relaxation during the holiday weekend. My grandmother and I just watched Serena Williams become the 2009 Wimbledon Champion -- exciting, yes, but also a little heartbreaking, because she had to win one final match against her older sister, Venus, to do so.

We're watching the trophy presentation now. Venus is a very gracious runner-up. And Serena still can't believe that she won. They're so sweet! And absolutely fantastic -- very down-to-earth and incredibly talented.

I'm off to partake in some 4th of July activities (I'm thinking bbq and fireworks) -- Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

Wimbledon! And the Tennis Grunt?

I'm up a little early today (I know! I am equally surprised . . .). The extra few minutes in the morning gave me time to catch up on some news (and write about it) before I officially start my day.

I've been pretty busy over the past week or so, but I still cannot believe that I seemed to forget about Wimbledon! I've just learned that both Venus and Serena have made it to the semi-final round, and if each wins her respective semi-final match, then they will face each other in the final. I love and hate it when that happens -- I'm always so happy to see them succeed, but it must a little difficult for them as well. Or maybe not . . . what do I know?

In related news, apparently a scandal has been brewing on the court (first at the French Open, and now at Wimbledon) over the intensity of the tennis "grunt" -- according to NBC's Today Show, Venus and Serena's grunt registers as loudly as a household vacuum cleaner, while Anna Kournikova's grunt is as loud as a motorbike. Question: Who took the time to figure this out?

I'm off to start my day. Here's to a good one!

The Bright Side

It's been such a strange and sad week. The news cycle ( Iran, Gov. Sanford, the deaths of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and Billy Mays) has left me reeling. And a little numb.

Last night, I took a break from 24 hour news and popped Rachel Getting Married into my DVD player. I loved it. What everyone's said about Anne Hathaway's performance is true (she was great). And the cinematography, the set design and Rachel's wedding (spoiler alert: in the end, Rachel actually does get married) were just perfect.

In other positive news, this weekend my brother and I got working on a little project that has been in the works (on a very basic level) for some time now. The project is still in its infancy, but once it's ready to launch I will share the news here. It combines my interest in design with my brother's interest in social entrepreneurship and community development, and I'm confident that it will be fantastic. Stay tuned!

P.S. I'm watching the Food Network's shameless "interpretation" of Bravo's Top Chef as I watch this. And guess what? It's not that bad! I think I might like this show. . .

The Weekend in Review

This weekend was gloriously work-free. One of my goals for the weekend was to pick up a few investment pieces to spruce up my work wardrobe, which was in need of a little pick-me-up. I did find a few things, but now I'm experiencing buyer's remorse (this is what happens when there are no sporting events no attention-grabbing sporting events on television -- sorry, U.S. Open).

On Saturday, I ordered two pairs of shoes from Endless.com: pumps and flats, both for work.


I'll have to wait until Monday to see if these are going to work...

Also on Saturday, I picked up a cardigan from Banana Republic. It really was a steal at $40 (it's 100% cashmere!), but now I'm wondering whether the style will work with my wardrobe:

It looks cute on the Banana Republic.com model. I hope I can make it work for me, too.


And finally, today I purchased a pair of navy blue Max Mara pants and a black DKNY three-quarter sleeve blazer from Century 21 (Btw, that place is a zoo... I don't know why I keep subjecting myself to the madness there). The pants are definitely going back -- I got them home and tried them on again and realized they're just not what I was looking for. They're beautiful pants, but they don't work well with the loose, flowing blouses that I like to wear to work. I'm on the fence about the blazer -- I bought it because it coordinates with a pair of DKNY pants that I bought last summer that I stopped wearing to work because they wrinkle sooo easily. What's good about the blazer is that when worn with the pants, it will disguise most of the offending wrinkles.

So I'm not sure that I would call this weekend's shopping project a success. I think that I may have found a few good pieces, but it's too soon to tell. In the meantime, and in the absence of an NBA finals game to distract me (man, that series came and went in a flash), I will be entertaining myself with a generous scoop of pistachio gelato and tonight's episode of Army Wives.

The Weekend in Review

This weekend wasn't nearly as restful as Memorial Day weekend -- I had a lot of work to do over the past two days. But somehow, I managed to pull together a productive and pleasant weekend. A few highlights:

1. I was able to get a decent amount of work done this weekend, during designated blocks of "work time" on both days (had this not happened, I never would have enjoyed this weekend's non-work activities).

2. Trip to Whole Foods at 9am on Saturday: Early AM is definitely the best time to go to the Tribeca Whole Foods. The produce has not been rummaged through (yet), the shelves are still stocked with my favorite snacks, and the checkout lines won't start snaking through the aisles for another few hours.

3. Brooklyn Flea! The last time I made a trip to Brooklyn Flea, the market was just a few weeks old and I wasn't that impressed. Not so anymore! The Flea is all grown up now -- more vendors + quirky vintage merchandise = success. On Saturday, I snagged a vintage Polaroid camera (check it out here), and my brother (who was equally impressed with the Flea) picked up a vintage plaid travel bag and a decades-old, bright yellow Pennsylvania commercial license plate. Our grand total? $31!

4. Caramelita Bars. The Whole Foods version of these yummy treats inspired me to make my own at home, which I did while watching the Orlando Magic play their way to the NBA Finals on Saturday night (the highlight of my weekend). This recipe worked well for me, but beware: baking the bars at 350 degrees for 25 minutes after layering the chocolate, nuts and caramel is totally insufficient. Check them at 25 minutes, but be prepared to bake them for 45 min --until the top layer is slightly firm and no longer gooey.

5. The IKEA Water Taxi to Brooklyn. The weather on Sunday was *perfect* for a free ride from downtown Manhattan to Red Hook, Brooklyn on the IKEA Water Taxi. On the way to IKEA, we had a perfect view of the Queen Mary 2 (check her out here). On the way back to Manhattan, we had a perfect view of the Statute of Liberty. In between, I picked up 3 little plants ($1.50/each) for my windowsill -- fingers crossed that I don't kill the plants this time (check them out here -- they may never look this good again).

Just typing this post left me exhausted. Time for bed. Here's hoping for an equally productive week.

Decorating Detox

I am officially putting the rest of my apartment decorating project on hold -- just until my lovely mother comes to NYC for a visit in July. I am in the process of convincing her to stage a design intervention and to correct the errors I have made along the way. Don't get me wrong; I still love my apartment and I still love the decorating process. It's just that I feel that I've hit a wall (absolutely no pun intended), and I think I need to take a step back and seek the design advice of someone who does not see my apartment on a daily basis. There is one small section of my living room that I absolutely love, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. But the rest of my living room (particularly the wall behind my television), my kitchen and my entryway definitely need more work. As does my bedroom -- according to my brother, who was visiting last weekend, it looks a little dated. And socially conservative. That is definitely not the look I was going for when I decorated it less than a year ago. Oops.

So, the apartment decorating project will remain on hiatus until July, at least. I'll still scour design blogs and magazines for ideas, but instead of rushing to make immediate changes to my living space, I will focus instead on really thinking about what I want, and on keeping my apartment clean, not cluttered. I'm actually pretty excited about this -- I had become so obsessed with making my apartment "perfect" that I had begun neglecting some of my favorite hobbies -- like baking and reading (especially chick lit and military history...guess that explains why I love Lifetime's Army Wives so much). Another bonus? I'll have more time to devote to my blog -- I have some new ideas about how to have a little more fun with it, and I can't wait to try them!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday. He's the best. Happy birthday, Dad. Don't fall out of the hammock! (inside joke)

Good Touch, Bad Touch.

First, the Good: I recently purchased the (still relatively) new touch screen Blackberry Storm. Confession: I really wanted an iPhone, but I am a loyal Verizon customer and I refuse to switch to AT&T just for the "it" Phone. None of that matters, though, because the Storm is great. I feel like I've finally stepped into this century! I can't believe how much I can do with this phone (the web browsing is amazing ... even my little blog looks great on the Storm). Plus, today the Blackberry App World launched, complete with tons of fun applications. I have already downloaded a few new, shiny apps (including mobile-friendly versions of Elle and Slate and something called Viigo that comes highly recommended).

Now, the Bad: Evidently, touching the Queen without being invited to do so is bad form. According to several news outlets, First Lady Michelle Obama gently touched the Queen on the back without an invite during a visit to Buckingham Palace today. Outrage ensued.

In other Michelle Obama news, doesn't she look great here, pictured with Sarah Brown, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown? The best part? She's wearing J. Crew!

Image: The Times Online (UK)

Updated Apartment Photos

For Mom and Grandma:

The living room, in toto.

( I really should have fluffed that middle cushion before taking this shot.)

*Love* these pillows.

I found these books at Librarie de France. Librarie was the first retail tenant at NYC's Rockefeller Center, and they will be closing their doors for good at the end of the summer.



I still can't decide where these "Palmer" stools from Z Gallerie should go, but I do like them nestled in this corner. The mini palm tree was a Valentine's gift from my family, and I found the white planter at cb2 for $14.95! ( The lighting here is a little weird -- I think the sun was reflecting off the top of the stools.)



The coffee table. I'm a magazine junkie.



See that tote bag tucked under the zebra chair? Hidden inside are the infamous sewing class pajama pants. And yes, they remain unfinished.



The kitchen.



A close-up of my "Cafe Paris" favorites, plus the Orla Kiely canister that my brother scored for me at Target.



My bedroom.



I made the faux headboard myself! I found the fabric at the Marimekko Concept Store on the Upper East Side. (Please ignore the unsightly iHome "antenna" on the bedside table.)



My "dressing table."

That's it for now. Operation "Making My Apartment a Home" continues.

P.S. I still have March Madness pictures to post. They're coming. I promise.

Selection Sunday. But First, the ACC Championship Game.

Selection Sunday is finally here! I'm so excited. This evening, I'll have a better idea of which teams my brother and I are likely to see when we head down to Miami for Round 2 of the Madness.

But first: In just over 30 minutes, Florida State will meet Duke in the ACC Championship Game. As I've explained before, I am a Florida Gators fan. My blood runs orange and blue. So what I am about to say is going to be shocking. At the risk of alienating Gators fans everywhere, here goes: I am pulling for the Seminoles to deliver an upset in the ACC Championship Game. That's right, I really, really, really want FSU to win. This has more to do with my tendency to pull against Duke basketball than anything else. (Sorry Duke fans -- I really like Coach K and I respect Duke's program. But I firmly believe that Duke basketball is consistently overrated, each and every year.) Plus, as someone who calls Florida home, I have to support the Seminoles in their quest to stir up the basketball hierarchy of the Southeastern United States (defeating North Carolina was a great start).

Time to get ready for the game. Under normal circumstances, I'd be snacking on pizza and wings and little pigs-in-a-blanket while my eyes are glued to my TV. But I'm battling a cold at the moment, so instead I'll be enjoying a steady diet of throat losenges and chamomile tea. Yum.

Go 'Noles!