quotable...

image courtesy of make under my life

keeping him in mind...

thinking of my fur-nephew...sweet baby boy...

keep calm...

i think my mother needs to get my sister and i each one of these...cause we usually call her when we're freaking out most of the time...

adventures of buying a washer & dryer...

image courtesy of my beautiful mess

this weekend (mlk day weekend sales, wahoo!) i'm headed out to sears to buy my very own washer & dryer, preferably a front loader so i can eventually build a counter top above it for folding clothes. unfortunately in my new house the laundry is not located in its very own special room, but rather, the dingy basement. i'm hoping someday in the future to refinish the basement and make a special space just for washing, drying, folding, & ironing like one of these lovelies...

image courtesy of decor pad

image courtesy of sweet nothings

image courtesy of kohler

image courtesy of birch & lily

image courtesy of elle decor

image courtesy of red clay soul

image source unknown (sorry)

image courtesy of decor pad

image courtesy of better homes & gardens

fashionable notecards...

i'm a huge fan of the written note, i much more prefer it over an impersonal email. plus, it's nice to get something other than bills in the mail. don't you just love my christian lacroix papier note cards? i bought them at the les arts decoratifs museum in paris in november and decided to break them out...but apparently you can also get them on amazon here....

a good football day...

today was a good football day, you see, my family loves the ny giants and they had a great wild card playoff game today...go big blue!!!



but we are also tim tebow lovers...who also made the playoffs today...


did you see the snl skit riht before christmas?...



we're also big fans of the remixes...and i'm a nerd and uploaded this song to my ipod, hahaha...

playing in my head...

i love, love, love this song...reminds me of a good friend of mine...

best bookcase display ever...

my friend texted me this photo of his meatball this morning in his bookcase, loved it...don't love how he has NO books in that damn bookcase though. don't worry, no harm was done to the pup in the process of taking this photo, i can assure you...

fall wedding with hints of plaid...

fall is without a doubt the best time for everything and anything. and weddings are no exception. i am smitten with this fall inspired wedding in the new issue of utterly engaged. i especially love the hints of plaid throughout the shoot, don't you?...

inked...

the first month i was in college i got a tattoo on my lower back. my parents said they would kill me if i ever got one...clearly, i'm still alive. when my mother finally saw my tattoo as i was bending over to put air in my car tires she didn't talk to me for several months, i was devastated. good thing i had my aunt to send me a card like this (i found this while i was home in ny over the holidays)...

(note: jill was my 7 year old cousin at the time)

3 more tattoos later, and i'm still alive. i know tattoos aren't for everyone, but i love them, i think if done right they can be beautiful...my parents (and sister) on the other hand would have to disagree...

my most recent wrist tattoo: amor (love), patientia (patience), probitas (honesty), fides (trust)..
...above that is a hei-matau maori bone lure

ridin' around town...

image courtesy of beaux mondes

i know i can't spend any extraneous money at the moment (or any time really), but if i could i would buy myself a super groovy bicycle like this one or this one...


i saw stephmodo's post about dutch bikes and it made me envious...

best show on tv...

If you don't watch nbc's parenthood then you need to start. this week's episode, road trip, was no excpetion. there's a scene in the show that makes my heart melt, where the patriarchal father, zeek, explains to his own 86 year-old-mother (whom he has never felt approves, loves or is proud of him) why he tells his kids he loves them, and why he dragged them all up to visit her...

'i tell my kids i love them every day, so they know and we’re clear on it. i brought them all here so you could see that they are the best thing i've done with his life.'

wonderful right? makes you want to tell your own kids you love them every single day. also, you have to go buy the song they play at the end of the episode, it's called honey i'll try by emile millar...i'm mildly obsessed with it right now...

reSITE festival...

ok, so i'm trying to plan a trip to prague in may...and this is why...

reSITE teaser from reSITE FESTIVAL on Vimeo.

my high school pal marty, as blogged about here and here, is co-running the reSITE festival in prague this spring and i could not be more proud of him. he even has a cameo in the video clip...i can't believe how distinguished he looks! seriously people, if you're thinking about planning a trip to prague in the near future go in may and check this out. not only is prague supposed to be gorgeous, but what a wonderfully brilliant idea for a festival, totally worth being there at the same time.

currently reading...

i started reading an invisible thread last night, and in less than an hour i was half way through the book. i plan on finishing it tonight and then starting the dovekeepers, which my co-worker shared with me today at work...

two little sweetpeas...

i spent the last day of my winter mini-vacation with these two sweetpeas...and it was great...although i think their parents might hate me for the ridiculously large presents i brought over that now take up half their living room...

my new favorite 'do...

lately i've been curling my hair with either a curling iron or curlers (although i need a better set, mine stink)...mostly for when i'm going out at night. i have pin straight hair, so the curl doesn't stay tight, but it looks good enough.

now i want to try this hair style seen on the beauty department...

a movie to see...

i finished reading extremely loud & incredibly close around this time last year. everyone has their own story about that day, and this book is another beautiful & brilliant story based on that day in september. and while it was an odd book to follow, it was quite good. i never thought of it becoming a movie because of its complexity...but after seeing the trailers i can't wait...break out the tissues...

$10 challenge...

so i was just reading the lettered cottage and her post 'things i'd tell my 37-year-old self'...and one of the items listed struck me as a brilliant idea to start this first week of 2012... i'd like to challenge everyone that reads my blog to do this with me...

save $10 per week. simple, right?...


i currently have $100 per paycheck automatically deposited into my savings account, which is great and i STRONGLY urge you to do something similar for your savings, even if it's less. but the problem is i tend to 'dip' into my savings when i hit up the atm...bad habit.

but $10 per week...by the end of the year you have $520...two years you have $1,040...and so on. you can spend it, donate it, save it. it seems really doable, right? as a soon-to-be homeowner that's an amount that doesn't seem so scary to achieve... i can give up buying lunch at work, or a manicure, or an after work cocktail...i think.

looking forward...

i don't know about you, but i'm really looking forward to a fresh start in 2012. i have so many new, exciting things on my plate for this year, i can't wait to get them underway!

it's been a dream of mine to have a home of my very own, and it's one that's coming true this month! i can't wait to get started on many of my 'projects' for this house and setting down roots in this great little town outside of the city...


it's no secret how much i love animals (dogs & cats especially), and i've recently been appointed to the board of overseers for the animal rescue league of boston. this is a HUGE honor for me and i can't wait to be an embedded part of this amazing organization...



my little sister turns 30 this year!!! when did we get so old??? i'm hoping to make my way out to california this spring to celebrate with her and to see their new home!...


we're embarking on our second year of book group. i cannot tell you how much joy it has brought me to get together with this group of women each month. i would encourage anyone/everyone to start their very own book group this year...


i'm going into my 7th year with my company. i am thankful every day that i have been able to be a part of this organization, work with the people i do, learn new things, and have a part in building wonderful homes for our clients...this seriously is my dream job...


this summer & fall brings many upcoming weddings of great friends of mine. these are people i love very much and am so happy to be a part of their big, life changing day...


i know that this is going to be a great year for me personally, i can feel it, and it's one i hope to continue to blog about here. i want to thank my friends and family for their support in 2011 too, without them my life would seriously be incomplete...