Bay House

WARNING: There are A LOT of pictures in this post. But the house was just so beautiful that i couldn't help myself. Plus the pups were all so adorable!!

Anyway, highlights of the weekend included (in no particular order): blowing bubbles, fresh fish (literally caught earlier that afternoon!) for dinner (with delicious cheese grits), feeding the seagulls, laying out and catching up, beaucoup de vin, ping pong, hammocks and swings, stepping in dog poop with my bare feet (AGAIN), a really fun trip to the Galvy Wal-Mart (tacky city but where i found a TWILIGHT game!), sleeping w/ Lola in a delicious king sized bed, having to get towed back to shore by a crab fisherman b/c our jet ski died in the middle of the bay, shrimp cocktail/fresh berries/gourmet cheese, frozen margaritas on demand (bestie's dad ROCKS), and lots and LOTS of girl talk. I love my Pony/Bestie. Can't wait for Round Deux!!



















P.S. Yes, i realize i take a LOT of pictures of dogs, particularly my dog. But she's just so darn cute!

P.P.S. There are no human pics b/c (1) Bestie would kill me if i put them up here and (2) we were mostly makeup-less, sans blow-dryer, aka not in our prime. ;-)

I'd Like You To Meet...

...my new pink HOLGA!! After much deliberation (okay maybe not that much), i took the plunge and bought myself this adorable pink holga camera. After hearing such rave reviews about it, i figured it was an inexpensive way for me to have some fun with photography. Plus in this cotton candy pink color, how could i resist?? I am definitely going to name her, as i enjoy naming my inanimate objects. My darling white/pink beach cruiser? Her name is Sylvie. My newish purple ipod? Sofia. As for this baby, i'm not sure... Any suggestions? I'm particularly fond of French names :-)

P.S. Get your own here!

P.P.S. Aside from this purchase, i've cut back on my shopping BIG time. Yay moi.

P.P.P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARAH!! If you don't know Sarah, she's kind of like, stunning, uber talented, and has an incredible blog. (And also one of the sweetest bloggers you'll meet) Head on over and wish her a happy bday!

My Car :-(

Well the mood from my previous cheery post has soured. I walked into the parking garage at work only to discover that my car. had. been. hit. Was there a note on my window? Mais non, of course not. Were there any vehicles around with suspicious dentage/scratchage? No. You can see from the picture that it's not a devastating blow (physically), BUT it's the bumper and undoubtedly will cost more than $1k to fix. I've had my car for less than 4 months. FOUR MONTHS!! Le sigh. I can't help but ask... why me?? Grr.

Another List

1. Luckily this week has not been as stressful as i anticipated. Still have loads of projects but have been dutifully checking them off the list. Yay progress!!

2. Have been *SO* good about eating at home for dinner this week. Monday night = fajita steak salad with sliced avocado and caramelized onions and a side of steamed broccoli (trying to get in as many greens as possible). Tuesday night = bowl of Special K Red Berries, roasted asparagus and a couple of hard-boiled eggs (got home late). Am planning to swing by Whole Foods on the way home tonight and get some shrimp for dinner - will pair it with leftovers avocado, probably steam the rest of my broccoli, and who knows what else!

3. Have another *blog crush* post coming soon - you. will. love. it. !!!

4. Tomorrow is Sarah's bday, and she's going to be celebrating in Austin!! Hope we can *FINALLY* meet :-)

5. Hope to upload my Galveston pics tonight so you can see the beautiful bay house in which i spent last weekend!!

6. Got this fun tripod recently so hopefully i'll be adding more pics to the blizzog. (P.S. i really want an old polaroid camera. do they come in pink?)

7. I plan to take a photography class, tennis lessons, and a Bollywood Bhangra workout class this summer. Woo hoo!

8. I love making lists. Maybe all my posts will be lists? Maybe not. Did i just hear you groan??

9. I'm itching to travel... future itineraries include: another week-long retreat in Costa Rica, another jaunt to NYC (mostly for the overrated Topshop, teehee), a spring trip to Paris, and maybe long weekends in D.C. and L.A.. A girl can dream, n'est ce pas?

10. I love y'all - my fab readers. :-) Hope you have a deliriously happy hump day!

Are You A Shopaholic?

From Secrets of Simplicity (which i am FINALLY getting around to reading):

"The questions below will help you recognize the signs of an unhealthy shopping habit that may be around you and help you to release.

1. Is most of your free time spent either purchasing or returning items?

2. Do you use shopping to change your mood? [Ok seriously, what girl doesn't?]

3. Do you have a junk room, junk drawer, or storage unit that has unknown contents?

4. Do you hate to wear things twice for fear that someone will notice?

5. Has your credit card debt become excessive?

6. Do you hide your shopping habit from loved ones and friends?

7. Would you be embarassed to ask for help to curb your shopping habit?

8. Do you avoid inviting people to your home because of your accumulation of purchases?

9. Is shopping one of your top five favorite things to do? [DUH]

10. Is reorganizing a weekly ritual for you?"


Now - the most important question of all. How many "yes" 's = unhealthy habit??

*Blog Crush*

French women are irresistibly chic - we all know this. I'm particularly infatuated with all things French, so you can imagine how easily i fell in love with Betty of Le Blog de Betty (tres cute!!). She's undeniably pretty in that natural, effortless, French way, and her style is impeccable. She mixes everything from chunky boots to sequins to bows galore to boyfriend jeans and makes it work in a way that i'm convinced only Europeans can. If you're looking for some fashion inspiration or just love eye candy, be sure to visit her beautiful blog. Bonus: She translates her posts into English! Enjoy, mes amies!



P.S. Did i mention i'm kind of obsessed with her?



P.P.S. Can you blame moi? I mean, LOOK AT HER!!

Stress: Bad for the Soul

Bonjour, friends. :-( I wish i had delightful news or fun pictures, but non, i regret i have nothing. Instead i have 3 new "URGENT!!" projects (all in diff. areas of the law, btw) and a week full of working mornings, days and nights ahead. I do have some beautiful pics of the bay house and lovely tales from the weekend, but those will have to wait for next time...

Things I'm Looking Forward To:

1. Working out with Deb after work today

2. Death Cab for Cutie concert on Friday night

3. 90-minute deep tissue massage Saturday night (booked earlier this afternoon when stress level reached alarming high)

4. Healthier eating this week (and feeling better as a result)

What does your week look like?

Ma Soeur!!!

Guess what?? I just got the following email from my sister:

"I bought some of THESE for you =) I am the best sister ever!!!!"

She's currently in Tokyo (been there on/off for the last month) for work, and what better place to buy Japanese masking tape than in Japan, n'est ce pas? And she's right - she IS the BEST SISTER EVER!! Merci, Ma Soeur!! xoxoxoxoxo

Pet Peeves/Weekend Plans/Etc.

I've been doing some doc review at work (sounds boring, but it's an easy breezy way to get some hours!), and i'm appalled, APPALLED, by some of the spelling/grammatical errors. Not that i'm not guilty of making some mistakes myself (hello, Manhatten? bah still kills me!), but people, COME ON. Some of my pet peeves...

1. Your vs. You're
2. Affect vs. Effect
3. Using " 's " to denote plural instead of possessive.
4. Misspelling "definitely"
5. Misspelling anything you should have learned how to spell in grade school.

My friend S works at a big time law firm in NYC and shares my sentiment when it comes to these types of errors. She emailed me the other day to say she was doing some doc review and came across an email between 2 lawyers that said something along the lines of, "That's what we must due." I mean... REALLY??

Okay enough of that. If I've offended you, i am truly sorry. My bestie is a self-proclaimed awful speller, but at least she utilizes this little thing called spell check. As for the other issues (aka #1-3 above), well, i just don't know what to say...

Speaking of my bestie, i am beyond excited that we will be spending a delicious 2 days of uninterrupted gabbing/drinking/laying-out/eating/having FUN together this weekend. We've been planning to get out to Galveston (the nearest "beach" around, if you can even call it that) for awhile now because her parents have a lovely (and by lovely, i mean HELLA NICE) bay house there. It'll be my first visit, and i can't wait. I just need a GET-AWAY, ya know? And since i can't exactly hop on a plane to Miami, Hawaii, or let's say, the South of France, this will have to "due". ;-)

In other news, i'm dying a little bit because i learned about the Rebecca Minkoff Sample Sale being held in NY, L.A., SF, and NOT Austin. :-( I've been longing for a Rebecca Minkoff "Morning After" bag for ages now, but clearly can not/should not be spending that kind of cash on a bag.

Am also lusting after the Foley + Corinna Mid City Tote in this gorgeous, blingtastic GOLD:



There was a GILT sale on F+C this morning, but of course, everything worth buying was snatched up by 11:01 a.m. (sale started at 11 CST). That's really starting to get on my nerves... And don't even get me started on missing the R.M. GILT sale awhile back. Was during my "spending hiatus".

All that being said, my wallet is most certainly pleased with my lack of online sample sale shopping. The sad reality is that with all my student loans becoming due and other annoying necessary expenses (like rent), i don't have much play money left at all. To say i'm a Bitter Betty would be an understatement - I'm pissed. 3 years of painful law school just to have thousands of dollars a month going to pay off my law school loans?? No, thank you. No wonder young attorneys feel trapped. This morning I calculated what kind of salary i'm "really" making (i.e. after paying monthly student loan bills), and it came out to be almost $30k less. Le sigh. One of my fave new blogs, Brunette On A Budget, just blogged about happiness versus big salary. Very interesting and something worth reading. I haven't figured out my answer yet... have you?

P.S. I realize the above paragraph makes me sound spoiled and ungrateful and for that, i apologize. I'm lucky to work at a law firm in Austin - tis not an easy job to get, and mine sort of fell into my lap. So please excuse my brattiness for this one post. Merci!

Earth Day Sale!

Bonjour, mes amies!! I apologize for the lack of posting (as the darling Sarah pointed out, hehe) but this week has been insanely busy. A couple things though...



1. Today is EARTH DAY so make a plan to reduce your carbon footprint NOW!



2. Today is also Staff Appreciation Day so be sure to take the time to thank your staff for being so wonderful. I baked cupcakes (chocolate with cream cheese frosting and vanilla with fresh strawberry frosting) last night for the staff in my office, and they are thrilled. :-)



3. In honor of Earth Day, the incredible Kimberly Wilson is offering a 15% discount on her incredible line of sustainable, bamboo lounge/yoga wear TranquiliT with the code: EARTH. This line is fantastic, and the spring colors are gorgeous!! I ordered the hoodie and savasana throw in peony - the best pink EVER. Happy Shopping!

AA Jersey Pocket Skirt

Remember this American Apparel skirt that everyone knows and loves?



Well. I'm happy to report that your local Tarjay carries a Mossimo look-alike for one-third the price. That's right - $10! And it's just as comfy, soft, and sweet. I picked one up in red yesterday and am fighting the urge to go back and get one in every other color as well. (i think it also comes in white, black, turquoise, and heather gray). Unfortunately i couldn't find it online, but it's pretty new so find thee a Tarjay pronto!!

Lush

Today i had...

1/2 bottle of champagne @ brunch

AND

1/2 bottle of wine @ dinner.

Let's just say i was inspired by watching the incredibly aesthetically pleasing film - Marie Antoinette. ;-)

P.S. Celebrity Sighting

During my workout (specifically while doing the aforementioned 100 lunges around the building), guess who we saw? Andy Roddick and his new bride. And you know what? He was just as unimpressive and prick-y as i expected him to be. So i'm actually not that excited about this celebrity sighting, but i figured i'd mention it anyway. ;-)

Le Chevre

What a day! Earlier i worked out with my trainer Deb, her trainer G, and another one of Deb's clients C @ Castle Hill. The purpose of this session was to introduce me and C to G and see whether we want to work out with him after Deb moves . O. M. G. Let's just say that i'm already sore (and it's only been a few hours), and you know how soreness gets worse the day after and then even WORSE the day after that?? Yeah. The man is crazy. I think I did 100 lunges (while holding a barbell on my shoulders no less). 100!! I better wake up tomorrow with the perkiest, roundest, firmest bum ever.

In an effort to reward myself for such an insane workout and for working this afternoon, i decided to make a delicious mixed greens salad with warm goat cheese rounds. Surely everyone has had/seen a version of this salad somewhere. I always knew it'd be tres easy to recreate so thanks to the lovely PinkHeels, i got myself an Ina Garten recipe (she's the best, n'est ce pas?) and got to work. It was unbelievably quick and easy! The step that takes the most time is the chilling of the goat cheese (post dipping in egg whites and covering with bread crumbs, or in my case, panko) in the fridge for 15 minutes.



For the mixed greens, i added sliced almonds and dried cranberries and drizzled a bit of balsamic vinaigrette.



After the rounds are chilled, you simply brown them in the pan (with evoo and a touch of butter) for mere minutes, and voila! Deliciously warm, gooey, crispy goat cheese... MmmMMmmmMmmm...




The breading kind of messed up on one of the rounds as i was flipping it, but it was no less delicious. And while the salad was very yummy, next time i'm going to use a stronger goat cheese as i prefer it with more of a kick. Mmmm i really heart goat cheese. Don't you?

Topshop Envy

Just got an email from my dear friend M with the subject line "Guess where I am?!?!?!" and this picture attached:



After picking myself off the floor, i called her immediately (M works as an attorney in Dallas) and asked if she was kidding. Mais non! She was in NY for work, finished early, hopped on a train to the city and headed straight for Topshop. (You can see why we're friends!) M was my roomie/partner-in-crime when i lived in London and visited Topshop on an almost-daily basis. I consider her my fashion soulmate as she is probably my only friend who TRULY understands my taste.

Jealous doesn't even begin to describe how i'm feeling right now!!

P.S. Despite her excitement, M did say that the NY store is "not Oxford Circus" and that items were way overpriced. Nonetheless, she is still walking away with a few insanely cute things. Duh!

if money grew on trees...

i'd buy these fire engine red cowboy boots in a heartbeat.

A Few Faves

1. fresh365 - gorgeous blog featuring delectable and fresh vegetarian recipes



2. Simplify 101 - For those of us who are obsessed with decluttering and organizing, this website has it all, including an "organize your paper clutter" online workshop!


3. The Paris Apartment - Darling Claudia is currently in Paris and provides her readers with gorgeous pics of the city in all its spring bloom. I'm totally planning a trip for next Spring...


4. SARK's Transformation Experience - Are you a fan of SARK? She's offering a new "Transformation Experience" online course which promises to transform practically every part of your life (family, money, body image, finances, etc.) for only $69 (and only $49 for a limited time!). Don't know SARK? Pick up one of her many books and dive in. She's WONDERFUL. (and un peu crazy!)

5. A CUP OF JO - Beautiful blog. I especially love today's entry which showcases a darling couple who saved and framed their receipt for 2 cafe creme's at Cafe de Flore from their first trip to Paris. ADORABLE!

Will Work 4 Japanese Masking Tape

I spotted this stuff (and by stuff, i mean GOODNESS) on a design blog awhile back, but it was sold out everywhere (namely, Design Within Reach). But LOOK! It's BACK!! And still WAY OVERPRICED!!! Mais tres jolie, n'est ce pas?

You can buy your own HERE (although i think some of it is sold out... again!).

P.S. It's no coincidence that the above website is called "happy tape" ;-)

Humpity Hump Day!

Bon matin, mes amies! It's a gorgeous Wednesday morning here in Austin, and i'm currently enjoying a (free!) breakfast taco courtesy of the firm. (I find that free food is the best kind of food, n'est ce pas?) I'm in a pretty good mood despite ignoring my alarm's persistent beeping this morning and sleeping in just a touch too late. Oops... Couldn't get my morning pages in, but will definitely catch up tomorrow as i'm working from home in the morning due to another dentist appointment. :-)

ALSO in a great mood b/c i'm getting a pedicure during my lunch break @ the lovely milk + honey spa and guess which color i'm getting? NARS Schiap!! Named InStyle's Best Pink, this shade really is the most perfect hot pink i've ever seen! I haven't gotten a pedi since my sister's visit many, MANY weeks ago (that's the thing about getting $50 pedicures - they last FOREVER) so i'm really excited about this little mid-week indulgence. ;-)

Speaking of PINK, if you're like me and aren't blessed with naturally pink lips, and you start resembling something of a corpse midday when your morning lipstick/gloss has worn off, then i highly suggest getting one of Covergirl's new Outlast Lipstain sticks. (i have it in Everbloom Kiss and adore it!) I was really skeptical b/c not only are my lips completely void of any color, but they are also extremely dry and prone to chapping/flaking/all-of-the-above. But this lipstain really doesn't start to look dry and crackly and for that reason, i'm considering getting ALL the colors. :-) (haha j/k... Mom if you're reading this, i'm JUST KIDDING... sort of)

In other exciting non-pink related news, next Wednesday, April 22, is Earth Day, and i'm beyond excited about going to see the Disneynature Earth special playing in theaters beginning that very day! I think it's basically a condensed version of Planet Earth. I bet it'll be awesome on the big screen so if you haven't seen Planet Earth or you have and loved it, i highly suggest checking your local theaters for this flick.

ABOUT KINDLE vs. BOOKS - I completely agree with y'all. I'm a self-proclaimed bibliophile and love love LOVE collecting books. I think I'd use the Kindle more as a supplement, if that makes any sense. There are some books (usually the latest fiction craze) that i can definitely live without a copy of... you know? I also read extremely fast which can present a problem on trips. On my BAR Trip, for example, I brought something like 10 books and left the majority of them there. So maybe in the end getting the Kindle wouldn't save me any money, but it would save me some space! And i think i'd read more... HOWEVER, i still refuse to shell out that kind of $$ for it so maybe i'll ask for it for my birthday or something. :-)

Last, but not least, if you adore French women and in particular, Garance Dore, as much as i do then i highly suggest you check out her Style feature on Refinery 29 (i bet most of you have probably already seen it). It's so nice to finally see pictures of her and her rockin' sense of style, and i think it's too cute that her boyfriend, Scott of The Sartorialist, took them. Le sigh... what is it about French women?? Oh, how i'd love to be one, just for a day...


Photo courtesy of Garance Dore

Btw - what does "sartorialist" mean??

Outfit

I'm not sure what it is exactly, but i love everything about this outfit. The dress, the belt, the tights, the boots... and a fresh-faced beautiful girl to pull it all off. Perfection.

From: Nast Magazine

2009 = Simplify

I've mentioned before that my "word" for 2009 is SIMPLIFY. To be completely honest, i haven't exactly been living up to it. Sure i've decluttered my apartment (somewhat), got rid of my cable (really missing my daily dose of Friends but i still think it's a good thing overall!), and attempted a shopping hiatus (key word: attempt). But i still feel like my physical and emotional life is so cluttered with stuff. Baggage. Excess. C'est la vie Americaine...

I first heard about Mary Carlomagno's book Secrets of Simplicity while flipping through the pages of one of my many magazines. Since then, my beloved Kimberly Wilson had done a podcast with her, and several other bloggers (like Holly from decor8) have jumped on her bandwagon. What better purchase is there for moi considering my theme for 2009 is to simplify? (Plus i received a $50 amazon gift certificate so it was like this purchase didn't count as shopping!) The book arrived this morning at work, and i can't WAIT to dive in! The beautiful matte finish cover, spiral binding, and cute tabs make for one of the most beautifully executed nonfiction/self-help books i've ever seen.

Spent the remainder of my gift certificate on Influence, the lovely coffee-table-esque book from Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen (how come no one ever says Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen?). I saw the twins on Oprah when this book was first released, and i've been wanting to get my hands on it every since. God i just LOVE books - don't you?? I'm dying to get the Kindle 2 in an effort to be a bit more eco-friendly about my reading (plus it's sooo great for traveling, n'est ce pas?). Does anyone have it? Any thoughts? It's a little too expensive for my taste. Plus i wish it came in a fun metallic pink, like the Nintendo DS (which i also secretly want but will not buy b/c i already own the regular pink version and let's be honest, i don't play with it that often)!

(Also? I totally miss my Amazon Prime membership. That thing spoiled me rotten!)

Happy Monday!

Is that a contradiction? Eh, whatever, i'm determined to make it a happy Monday! The sun is shining, the skies are a lovely shade of blue, and i'm wearing my very cheery Trina Turk skirt that i had planned to wear for Easter service in Dallas but didn't due to the meteologist's LIES about there being awful thunderstorms all day yesterday. Hmph. Oh well - i did manage to lay out by the pool yesterday with this stack of new magazines i got in the mail on Saturday.



I just adore getting a batch of fresh magazines, don't you?? And at the subscription rates going these days (i got 24 months for something like $10!), it's saving me oodles of money at the check-out. I used to be such a sucker for buying magazines at the check-out stands of Target, Whole Foods, you name it. I know my Mom secretly hates that i read magazines, but i LOVE them and could never give them up.

Anyway, I did go to church last night with my cousin and thoroughly enjoyed it. It motivated me to really get on the ball about finding a good Women's Small Group that isn't full of either annoying "good"/uptight/socially awkward people OR the alternative, extra-fratty/even-more-annoying/"I'm Christian b/c it's cool" people. Gosh, if you took offense to that sentence, i am truly sorry but it's been so hard for me to find people at church with whom i can actually... gel. You know?

OK, new topic.

Woke up to this adorably sleepy face this morning!



She was probably tres confused as to why i was up so early. Well, I've re-started my Morning Pages a la Julia Cameron and "The Artist's Way". Yay! For those of you who are unfamiliar, Julia suggests waking up every morning and journaling 3 full pages of whatever-pops-into-your-head. I did them yesterday and this morning and it's amazing what a difference it's made in my general attitude/mood.

Am planning to pick up delicious Greek food next door for lunch and attend a wellness luncheon on "Laughter: the Physiological and Psychological Benefits". Should be tres interesting...

Happy Monday, darlings!

Lazy Saturday

Time: 2:14 p.m.
Location: Bed



(Just took this pic of Lola in bed w/ moi. So cute and cuddly!)

My plans to drive up to Dallas today to see my parents were thwarted as soon as i learned of the massive thunderstorms scheduled to make an appearance tomorrow. This would've been OK if they were limited to Dallas, but once i learned that they'd be in Waco, Temple, and Austin as well, i knew i had to make a change of plans. I really can't afford to not make it back to Austin tomorrow and so, alas, i am forced to spend Easter weekend here in Austin. I'm fine with it, but feeling a bit sad for my Mom who i think was really looking forward to spend some time with me. Poor Momma.

So instead of spending 3.5-4 hours on I-35, I am instead laying in bed, listening to some Aqualung, snuggling with Lola, and just generally being lazy. Am willing myself to get up and clean my apartment - it desperately needs it. I've also scheduled a much-needed massage for this evening. I adore getting massages in the evenings because then i'm all relaxed and have no other obligations than to eat a light dinner and pass out. Yummy.

Some exciting news i learned yesterday while strolling through the Domain (Austin's "high-end" outdoor shopping mall, AKA Dallas wanna-be):



Austin's getting a Zara!! This is absolutely the best news EVER as Zara is one of the few places that offers work-appropriate wear that doesn't make me want to kill myself. ;-) I foresee better-dressed workdays in the near future...

I may need a nap before i attack my apartment. (Just so you know i'm not a complete waste of human space, i did manage to wake up this morning and go to SPIN.) *Yawn* Alright Lola's eyes just shut, AND my kitty Puffin has just joined us on the bed. I'll just have a petite sleep...

:-)

xoxo,
C

SHOES!!!

My Pour La Victoire "Felicia" shoes i received today in the mail... i'm in loooooove!




Steve Madden fringe shoes i found at TJ Maxx awhile back for practically nothing. (i forgot which designer inspired these knock-off's...) I heart TJ Maxx!



My shoe shelves (aka unbelievably cheap bookshelves from IKEA)!! (inspired by Juley @ Swank Heights)

That is all :-)

GOOD Friday

Bonjour, dear friends! Can you believe it's already Friday?? Of COURSE i'm beyond thrilled! This week flew by due to loads of new projects at work (love when that happens). Even had to get here early this morning so i could finish a memo (early on a Friday? never!). Another GREAT thing about this morning is that the staff at my firm put on an Appreciation Breakfast for the attorneys to thank us for "being the best" and "doing all that you do to keep us around." Basically my office has been going above and beyond trying to cut costs here and there, and the staff (and I!!) appreciate it because no one's been let go yet. I definitely don't deserve any of the thanks, but i most certainly enjoyed the deluxe breakfast buffet this morning! It reminded me (again) of just how lucky i am to be here.

There's nothing new with moi except that i'm driving up to Dallas tomorrow to spend Easter with my parents AND i scored Death Cab for Cutie tickets (they ROCK live!!) AND i just got my Pour La Victoire shoes (remember my slip during the shopping challenge) AND i'm hoping to wear my Trina Turk skirt i scored from a consignment shop to church this Sunday. Oh and here are some fun things to check out if you're bored. ;-)

1. A la Parisienne has weekly mini French lessons on her blog - so fun! One of these days i'm determined to get Rosetta Stone (um like the day $400 just falls in my lap), but until then i am loving these lessons. Find this week's here.

2. Found another DIY blogger who re-created those amazing studded-pocket-jeans you may have seen on Jak & Jil. Find her instructions here. Am definitely thinking about trying these myself, although I should probably learn how to sew first...

3. Is this not the best business card EVER for a dentist?? Note to self: Must find lawyer-version.

4. Both Kimberly and Nina are in the midst of a detox/cleanse. I'm tres impressed and thinking i need one of my own. But it's SO HARD!! Anyway, they both have fabulous blogs so check them out here and here!

Was planning on a #5, but my partner just dropped by to say he's peacing out which means...

i am TOO!! Have a WONDERFUL Easter, everyone!!!

xoxo,
C

P.S. Just found my #5, and it's NOT fun. THIS kind of sh*t does NOT MAKE ME PROUD TO BE A TEXAN.

A Few Thoughts...

(B/c it's been a looooong afternoon, and i can't get my head to stop spinning long enough to write a proper post!)

1. Everyone went ga-ga over the Christian Louboutin sale on Gilt Group this morning, but i was beyond disappointed. Sure they had a select few black pumps, but for the most part, the shoes on sale were B-O-R-I-N-G. I want my first pair of Louboutin's (and yes, there WILL be a first pair...and hopefully many more!) to be FABULOUS, yo!

(P.S. My guy friend B's twitter status earlier : "Amazed by number of times I 've seen "Louboutin" on Twitter today. What I gather . . . on sale, causes crazy, and hurts productivity." Haha GUILTY!)

2. The Texas economy has been one of the last to be hit by the Recession (aka Depression Part Deux), but i'm finally starting to see the effects on small businesses here in Austin. Seventh Street Yoga now only has an online presence, and i'm still kicking myself for never taking a class there. The studio was beautiful, and i'm really sad for the owners. My fave lil pet shop "The Furr Factor" has a big FOR LEASE sign in its window, which is really sad b/c i used to take Lola there all the time when she was a puppy (further proof that when i stop shopping, the economy goes downhill!). Sad day...

3. Speaking of the "Recession", if things are so bad then why the heck was the giant flagship Whole Foods on 5th/Lamar BURSTING at the seams today?? Seriously, dude, that food ain't cheap, and even I have had to cut back on my Central Market/Whole Foods trips, but it seems that quality food is going to be the last thing to go on people's lists (which makes sense to me, but oh GOD, talk about major headache getting in and out of there on my lunch break!).

4. Am BEYOND excited that Jen Lancaster's fourth book, "Pretty In Plaid", will be released in just a few weeks!! If you haven't read any of her memoirs, i dare you to not laugh out loud. She's. Friggin. Hilarious.

5. How funny that just yesterday i tweeted about my obsession with Miroslava Mikheeva Duma and this morning, when i checked my dailies, i found that the lovable Garance and i were TOTALLY on the same page! (and yes i realize that it really isn't coincidence at all seeing as how fashion sites discuss her almost daily) I'm so impressed with this fashionista that i'm going to cut this list short and leave you with these stunning, inspiring images... (p.s. i want her hair!!)