love and the laundry

my mom and i went to a christmas concert at a local church tonight. it was lovely, a lot of family centered songs and cheesy jokes...all the things the season is made of. what caught my eye was the family in front of me. it was this a simple family of four with two young boys. they were sitting with the boys in the middle flanked by the parents. as the songs started one of the boys crawled into his mom's lap and at that moment the dad looked at his wife with the most endearing, kind eyes i've ever seen. 

love in the middle of a christmas concert. two boys and thousands of loads of laundry later. 

tis the season. 

a beauty in red lips

i started referring to laura as "a beauty" the first time i got a cell phone. i was 16. laura was 12. i promised her that she would be the first person on my contact list...always. 

its 6 years later and she is as much of a beauty as ever. with cool style--its part grunge, part boho, with eccentric elements--and a great niche for makeup. anyone who thinks i do it well must now be told, i stole all my makeup tricks from my sister.

when i saw her in the bathroom singing along to the glee christmas album in this adorable outfit i made her pose. 

the clothes are a perfect fit. the dark brown almost riding pants are folded to become toothpick ankle pants (she's a genius) and hug all the right places. the floral print brings all the focus of the total outfit up to her face and the scoop neck exposed just enough collarbone to be totally attractive. plus, the sweater is flouncy enough to add an ease to the entire look. add some  adorable flats and a locket necklace and you've got those eccentric accessories i was talking about.  

her make up was actually my favorite. i've been searching for years for the perfect red lipstick for my skin tone. laura has slightly more olive skin than i do so this ruby raspberry works for her. it may seem more dramatic for a day look, but who's gonna argue with the queen of boundary pushing herself? and the eyeliner? yeah...she's been doing that since she was 11. 

My favorite picture of our little photo shoot. 

five

This is my brother Bobby. Ain't he just adorable? Right now he is a sophomore at Arizona State University in Phoenix. He comes home in ONE WEEK! I am so excited. 

He is such a fabulous person and I love him dearly. He is such a strong person with great convictions and teaches me about the power of the human heart and soul. Everyone should have one of him around!

I cannot wait to spend some good old quality time with him while he is home.  Updates will follow to be sure.

why blend in when you can stand out?

i saw this coat in the j.crew holiday catalog i just happen to get in the mail yesterday. i love my current coat, but i will be dire in of a new coat if i get this fellowship i want in denver. 

do you think i can pull of 'retro orange'? you will certainly be able to find me in the snow...

any good coats i should be looking at?

the season of giving

during this time of giving and receiving, i thought it would be a good idea to spread a little social justice (including this ever so fabulous music video). i mean if you're going to give, why not give for a cause?

here's my list of places to check out:

• product Red
• OPI Pink of Hearts...it's the breast cancer awareness color
• Kiva. org as featured on Oprah
• TOMS (i know i talk about the shoes all the time, but they also have clothes)
• donate a well!! how awesome is this, you can sponsor a well in africa (jada and will smith do it)

ps...this is my favorite holiday song. it's band aid "Feed the World." and how can you resist Bono in his 80s hairdo?

anyone else have a cause close to their hearts?

home sweet home

"Come Home, Nancy"  2006

this past friday i had the distinct pleasure of heading back to Charlottesville to see my dear friend Barrie's solo photography exhibit with New City Arts Initiative. i was the surprise and i think it went over very well (i think i even got a tear). 

barrie is one of those rare people who has so much inner joy and happiness it can't help but be infectious to those around her. being her friend and having her in my life has been a great pleasure. 

this show is an exploration of the home as both a structure and a solace of memories and experiences. the photo above is just one example of barrie's unique perspective and distinct attention to detail. 

cheers to you m'dear barrie. job well done. 

my favorite things

i am not really sure when it was exactly that Julie Andrews' singing "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music became a Christmas classic, but i'm not too upset about it. i love that song and i love that scene from that movie. and if i could find it on youtube it would be attached here. 

but in homage to that song's new popularity during this lovely time of year, here are a few of my favorite things...

i totally am feeling vanilla lattes. there is something magnificent in the warmth of an espresso drink. coffee involves friends, and old vintage furniture, with great indie music humming in the background. 

MY TOMS! i cannot say enough wonderful things about Toms and my lovely purple ones. i wear with everything...mostly these cuffed dark boyfriend jeans i'm kinda obsessed with. 

these are my weakness. anyone who knows me knows that i am very worldly and giving, but when it comes to my nail polish i am a total snob! it's true. it's OPI or nothing. it is most certainly the best and worth the money you'll spend. i'm current wearing the second from the right "dark cherry chutney" a gift from my dear friend stephanie. 

winter...ahhh...i just adore it all. i love the scarves and mittens and the red noses. wool sweaters, turtlenecks, too much chapstick...there is nothing as spectacular as the world coated in white...it's the promise of perfection overwhelming the sins of the world

so what are some of your favorite things? what have i forgotten?