This face pretty much sums it up.

Papa Bear has left for Paris for a week again...without us.

Me, too, Rocco. Me, too.

Spring in my Step

Yesterday it was warm when I left for work, so I donned a pair of heels to work. This means no socks people. Last time I went sans socks, it was Memorial Day. Imagine my joy. So in keeping with the pace, I busted out a pair of ballet flats today, again sans socks. Stepped outside, and of course, it was raining. Boo. However, to keep my spirits up, I began to think about heels again. Not any old work heels...bridal heels. Below is the non-traditional list of my finds, which are presented in almost the order of preference. I'm torn. If I give up a photographer, I can buy them all. Very tempting.


If I weighed 90 pounds and was 5'10, SOLD. Hand's down. But I'm not, and I'm fairly certain that even if I could fit my hoof in this shoe, I couldn't walk in it. It screams ugly step sister, doesn't it?


I love polka dots and bedazzles, and I LOVE this shoe. The only thing that prohibits a purchase is that I'm not sure how this color will look in person. It is almost the color of the bridesmaids dresses, but a little less blushy. But oh, how I love her.
This color looks identical, and I love the saucy leopard lining. Love the lacey piping and the bow. Decisions, decisions!
This is almost the same shoe as above minus the lacey piping. It's a simple and elegant shoe. It would go well with the overall bridal get up, but it lacks that little bit of unexpected excitement.
These are adorable! Love. love. LOVE. The pink is a little too pink, however, and a t-strap is the oil to a fat calf's water. But polka dots, y'all. Itsy bitsy teenie weenie.
These don't have any black on the outside, which is accenting my whole ensemble, but they're so bridal, I could scream. Hearts and sparkles! But when could I ever wear them again? Hmm. Never.
These are delicious, because they are simply black and white. The jewel is swell, but I'd prefer zebra to giraffe, methinks.

Oh, what's a girl to do?

Day Off Alone in NJ: Take One

In my head, I had a great day planned...a long walk, lunch outdoors, shopping, gym. The problem is that my mind forgets where I live. 37 degrees sucks, no matter who tries to convince me how benign it is. I didn't even want to walk to the car, so strolling for a couple of miles around my house is out of the question. Eating outside? No thanks. No takers here.

Shopping? I gave it a try, but I don't know why I bother leaving the house to shop anymore. I can't ever find what I want, and I'm tired of unstocked shelves and driving in circles just to get to the store I want. The problem is that buying shoes online is a total PIA and I NEED shoes, and suitable bridal undergarments, which also would not make purchasing online ideal.

So much for big plans. It's only mid-day and I have already landed myself back on my couch beneath layers of fleece and a furry blanket shopping online, which is how I spend every waking hour I'm not at work or the gym these days. Fun, isn't it? I hope the sarcasm is palpable. Happy President's Day.

Updates

Hello, long lost blog. Geez. I almost forgot how to work this thing.

I haven't had the mental energy to contribute random nonsense to this digital high school we call the Internets in several weeks for many reasons: 1) my brain has been eaten by a wedding (3 months to go. Hurray!), 2) new job with new people, new policies and procedures, and a whole new glossary of acronyms to memorize, 3) a trip to California for a super lovely bridal shower and well needed sniff of my security blankey of friends and family, 4) a trip to Le Carnaval de Quebec, 5) a cold that wiped it's ass with me for three weeks, and 6) too many minutes of the day spent calculating Weight Watchers points and planning meals. Two of these personal life distractions are now combined, since Weight Watchers meetings are now held at work. I love it when my to do list and my lunch break unite in holy matrimony. Now, onto today's order of business.

1) Happy New Year!
2) Happy Valentine's Day!
3) Happy St. Pat...nevermind. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
4) If you were having a shabby chic Parisian wedding reception, would you pick *white or black candelabras? Decisions. Decisions.


*(Pictures courtesy of some place on Google, where all pictures come from.)

Christmas Eve Eve

It's the night before the night before Christmas and the house is clean, presents are wrapped and occupying a metric ass-ton of space under the tree, and a boozy Christmas cake is in the oven. As I was making the batter, I heard sirens right outside my house, so I rushed outside to make sure everyone was merry and bright. To my delight, our local small-town fire department was pulling Santa Claus right through our neighborhood on the back of one of their fire engines! We exchanged waves and smiles, and just like that, they were gone. What an unexpected treat. Now if only we could have a white Christmas...

Happy Owl-idays!

I'm creating a love affair with gift wrap. I can't help it. It's so pretty. Sure, I'm mixing it up under the Christmas tree this year...a couple varieties of snowmen, a good old-fashioned Santa here and there for the kids, some delicate damask-ish swirly foil and velvet papier, but no one can deny there's a definite theme unfolding...

Nostalgia and Nutmeg

Yesterday was my beloved Nana's birthday. She would have been 85. She loved Christmas, and every year she turned her house inside out to create a winter wonderland. She threw a huge Christmas Eve party for which she spent the entire week before the fete baking and cooking and preparing to show her friends and family how much she loved them. She was the most loving and influential person to ever grace my life.

In honor of her birthday and her love of Christmas, we made her signature Lebanese anise flavored dessert pastry called ka'ak. It smells and tastes like love.