Vintage Pretties

Things that I *Heart*

A few of the things that make me super happy recently...

This scent smells like fall to me.  I have it burning in my family room from September to Thanksgiving.

Tootsie Pops! Remember these?  They have become my favorite mid day sweet.

I just tried Tarte cheek stain for the first time, after reading so many places how wonderful it is.  It lives up to the promises!  It goes on perfectly & never looks powdery or unnatural.

I just got this as a sample from Sephora & I'm really amazed at the difference it makes.  I read about it in the book How Not to Look Old (you laugh, but I used several suggestions in the book & have gotten many compliments) & I was doubtful about whether it was really necessary.  Especially at about $30 a pop.  But, after trying it, I'd pay that.  It works.

 

This beauty is my bible.  It's just a blank notebook (the prettiest blank notebook though, right??) , but I carry it everywhere.  My to-dos go in here, lists of books to read, Christmas & gift ideas for family, ideas on what to have for dinner. I scribble in it on the train & then leave it open at home to remind myself of what I need to do.

 

If you've heard Love Song then you know about her, but I just love, love, love the entire CD.  Her voice, lyrics -- love them.  Can't wait until she goes on tour again.  

 

I know, I posted about it before, but have to post it again.  My iPhone has changed my life.  No, really. I mean, not in a spiritual fashion or anything that will re-direct my existence, but it makes my life so.much.easier.  I can answer emails at any time.  I can look up information the moment that I need it.  I can listen to Sara B. whenever I want.  I don't think that I need to say more.

I would *LOVE* to hear what is making you happy right now, or the things that you've had your eye on in catalogs or stores!  It's so fun to see what other like-minded people are doing or wishing for. :)

I'm Pretty Sure That....

I'm Pretty Sure That....

...Real Lemonade = Summer

...I have the sweetest husband in the entire world (July 1st = 9 years since our first date)

...I should have pedicures more often

...Retail Therapy is often the best sort of therapy

 

...Sometimes, a STAYcation is one of the best vacations.

My Second Fantasy Wedding

I had SUCH a great time planning our wedding.  Spending hours researching sites, florists, tearing photos out of magazines was like heaven for me.  I still love, 6 1/2 years later,to peruse wedding mags at the checkout & sneak on over to Priscilla of Boston's website every few months. I recently thought of how fun it would be to plan another wedding, this time a little more hip, a little more stylish. 

The theme would be hot pink & white....

My dress:

(Dress by Jasmine)

My bouquet:

(weddingchannel.com)

The Bridesmaid Dresses:

(Alfred Angelo)

Their bouquets:

(weddingchannel.com)

The invitations (imagine the background floral in hot pink & the type in black...swoon!):

(Delphine)

At the reception, there would be a candy buffet (though the candy would be all pink, natch):

(theknot.com)

The wedding cake would be this (with an F instead of an M of course):

Photo by my very talented photographer friend, Heather Behlendorf of Captiva Photgraphy .  If you need a wedding/baby/family photographer in the Washington DC area, she is amazing!

The favor (with a pink "F", our last initial):

(marthastewart.com)

The one thing that I'd keep from my first wedding:

He worked out pretty well.

Smart Women (& Men) Vote

 

It is the eve of the most exciting election in my lifetime. Tomorrow we have the opportunity be part of molding our future.  I don't care what your opinion is, what your persuasion is, whether you vote blue, red or green.  What I do care about is that you VOTE! 

The thing that has been so exciting for me about this election is that Americans are seeing again that their votes DO COUNT.  Do you remember the primaries in which the polls firmly predicted a certain winner & yet, when we woke up the next day, the voters had chosen otherwise?  Those voters didn't care what the media told them, they got out there & let their voices be heard and THEY WERE HEARD.  Tomorrow, we have the opportunity to do this again on a grand scale.

Do you know that less than a century ago, the President of the United States wanted to have a leading suffragette committed as insane because of her belief that women deserved the right to vote?  This year, a woman took the United States by storm when she was selected to run as Vice President. To quote the old cigarette ads, "You've come a long way baby".  Think about it, less than 50 years ago, before the 1964 Civil Rights Act, African Americans could not vote without fear or a belief that their vote would actually be counted.  This evening, an African American is a leading contender to be President of the United States.

This year is so thrilling in that people are feeling empowered.  My parents, both in their 60s, who have NEVER done anything like this in their lives, decided to campaign for their candidate of choice.  They were out there today, knocking on people's doors.  People, my mom is a retired elementary school teacher, not a political activist!  Or maybe, that is what political activism really is....normal people, the lady who lives down your street or the guy who fixed your car, getting out there & exercising their freedom to participate in this process.  I urge you to do this tomorrow.  Be an activist.  Bring a book & stand in line with all of those other activists, casting their vote.

How I Spent My Summer Weeks

You may have wondered where I've been these past few weeks, and the answer is just here.  Here at home or at work or with friends or with family & just really enjoying it all.  Its been a good summer. I mean a good summer.  It just has felt full and where I want to be.  Maybe I've finally gotten the hang of this life as a working mom.  Maybe I finally kind of like my job.  Maybe I'm just finally taking what comes at me & making it good.  I don't know -- and who knows how long it will last!

Here is how I've spent my past few weeks:

With this lady, at the fair & eating ice cream & finding out how cool life is from the perspective of an almost three year old...

 

With this guy, grabbing a few parent's nights out & keeping each other sane when work is crazy...

Reading this...

and this...

and this...
 

This last one makes me want to replace every piece of clothing that I have, this instant, and go shopping for an entirely new fall wardrobe.

To that end, I've also spent a great deal of time lusting after the entire catalog of this place...

and the entire store of this place...
 

And, we got to go to this place for the first time and have ourselves some beer & hot dogs while sitting in a private BOX, courtesy of our lucky friends who won it in a sweepstakes....

(Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals.  They stink, but they've got a great ballpark!)

I hope that you've had a great summer too.  I'm really looking forward to the fall now that we are starting to get a taste of cooler temps here in VA.  Tights & wool skirts, candy corn & Halloween decorations.  Can't wait.

My Happy Stuff

I got to download a few more photos yesterday, so I feel that I can post again ('cause you've gotta have pics, right?)  Today's post is about some of the random things that are making me happy recently:

-Our little yoda, pictured above.  Daddy gave her a bath at Nana's & wrapped her up in not one but two towels.  She came to the top of the stairs to show off her costume.

-I *love* diet Coke.  I mean, I LURVE it.  Want some now....

-This is my new bath gel, which makes me happy.  I saved up several amazon.com gift certificates & bought fun stuff that I normally don't buy for myself, like pricey bath gels.  Lurve it.  And, you can wash your hair with it, which is a bonus.

-I went to a new-to-me restaurant in Old Town Alexandria last night, The Overwood, for a just girls dinner with one of my friends.  They had a fabulous deal on ribs for two with a starter & salads as well.  SOOO yum!  Delish vino too, but I can't remember the name of it.

-I've been using this stuff on my hair to make it all smooth & nice. It smells SO good.  I get so many compliments on how my hair smells when I use it.

-I got this cookbook for Christmas & we have loved everything that I've made from it.  I haven't used many Rachel Ray recipes prior to this, but this book has me sold.  The tortellini with spinach & artichokes is to.die.for.

-The VRE (Virginia Railway Express), my train to & from work.  I can't tell you how much nicer it is to ride the train than drive.  SO much nicer. I can sleep, I can read.  I love it.  It seriously makes my life better.

Since I'm writing this at work (shame!), I'd better get back to what I'm supposed to be doing :)  Why don't you all tell me about some of your recent happy stuff???

7 Things About Me

(At the rooftop garden at our hotel in Rome, September 2007)

I have been tagged to tell you 7 weird or random things about myself.  I've done these at least twice before, but let's face it, I have more than enough weird or random things about me to give it another whirl.

1)I read incredibly fast.  I can finish a book in a day easily, if I like it well enough.  I started reading before kindergarten (thanks Mom!) & have been a voracious bookworm ever since.
2)I have to have things very neat, but they don't have to be perfectly clean.  It makes me nervous to have clutter & dis-organization around.  But,  a bit of dust or spots on the faucet don't worry me.  Having said that, bathrooms have to be clean.  A dirty bathroom is just nasty.
3)I can't drink champagne or rose/blush wine.  Bad experiences in college account for both of those.  The mere smell of blush wine makes me feel nauseous.  On the other hand, I clearly don't have that problem with red wine (see photo above).
4)Lots of food on my pantry shelves makes me feel secure.  I don't know why, because I've certainly never gone without food. 
5)I seriously sometimes wonder if I might find out that the past 8 years have been a dream & that I'm still a single 27 year old, just wishing to find someone to love me.  I'm not saying this to be cheesy, but I was so convinced for so many years that it would never happen to me (always my friends, never me), that I still sometimes think that its got to be a dream.
6)Hope was a twin.  Her sister died in utero. 
7)I sometimes don't realize how loudly I'm talking, which can make for some mighty embarrassing situations.

Alrighty then!  Which of you are going to take the plunge & tell the world wide web all of your quirks?  Come on, if I can do it, you can too!

Starting it Off Right

Happy New Year to all of you!  I hope that 2008 is starting off well for each of you.

We had a very low key New Year's Eve here at home.  Babysitters are at a premium, as you probably know, so we snuggled in for the night.  I made a de-licious meal of beef filet with an almond pesto, garlic romano mashed potatoes, & garlic sauteed spinach.  SOOO good!  We had a fire in the fireplace and (don't laugh---ok, you can laugh) watched 'Animal House', which is one of my favorite movies.  Its true.  We had a fabulous time.

Today has been a great start to the new year.  I got to sleep in, went to the park with Hope & then Glenn hung out with Hope this afternoon so that I could have some time to myself.  I puttered around my little craft area in the spare room & just, well, puttered.  Heaven. 

One of my New Year's resolutions is to post on my blog more often.  So, I'll be "talking" with you again soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, my blogging friends!  We are here at home, with Glenn's mother & her husband as our guests.  We had our enormous traditional meal earlier today & now everyone is ready for naps!  Hope is in her normal state of bliss that is associated with a grandparent visit....non-stop attention all day/all night!

I want to stop for a moment & think about what I'm thankful for this year....

My family...Glenn, Hope, my parents & my sister & brother in law.
Health & the good doctors & nurses that let me & my family live good, healthy lives.
Good jobs that allow us to have food to eat, a place to live and the ability to do the things that we enjoy. 
Opportunities....for various reasons, I recognize that we have been blessed with opportunities throughout our lives.
Freedom from fear....we live in a country, that while not as safe as it once was, is free from the daily fear of fighting, suicide bombers and much more that so many people around the world must accept as part of their daily lives.  I pray that we never have to come to live with that & that those people are freed from it as well.
Friends....both my friends here in the DC area & my blogging friends around the world.

I hope that every one of you is having a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Name Game

I've been tagged by dear Allie over at My Cozy Home, with the name game!  I do love being tagged :)  Here are the rules:

Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

I was bestowed with an unusual middle name, one that has proven to be difficult to find words to match the letters--Yvonne.  How many words start with Y that you would like to describe you???  Here goes...!

Y-Yellow....soft yellow is one of my favorite colors...I use it through my house & have chosen it for several decorating projects...

V-Vintage, of course!  You knew that, though :)

O-Overseas, which is where I will be in just a few weeks...Italy, here I come!

N-Native...of State College, PA.  If you know anything about State College, know anyone who went to Penn State, even know anyone who has lived in Pennsylvania, then you know how growing up in the home of Penn State forms who you are.  Penn State IS State College...PSU football is everything, and the world revolves around the university. We were taught the Penn State fight song in junior high music class (I'm not joking). Your pride in where you are from is huge. Its a country locale with city culture.  My hometown is located in a valley that is called "Happy Valley"...yeah, a good place to grow up.
(The Penn State mascot, the Nittany Lion)

N-Nibble...I eat all day, a little here, a little there.  I just love to nibble!

E-Enthusiasms....Glenn once told me that he loved me for my "enthusiasms"....when I love something, I LOVE it.  When I'm excited, I bubble over.  When something is important to me, everyone around me knows about it.

Lets see...who should I tag?  Lets go with Martha at Elizabeth Hill Cottage , Terri at The Shy Turnip , & Jen at The Cottage Nest .

***************
By the way, I started my new job yesterday & so far, so good.  I'm enjoying taking the train to work--1 hour a day of reading time!  Very cool.  I've read an entire book already (OK, so I am a fast reader).  And, I feel good about finally being able to take public transportation.  My past jobs have been in places that didn't have public transport between my home & their location.  I'm happy to stop using up all of that gas & making all of that pollution.

As far as the actual job, so far, so good.  Its a really small office of about 12 people & things are in the midst of a lot of very positive change.  I'm in training so I haven't been able to really dig into what I'll be doing, but thus far it seems lower key than my last job.   A very good thing!  I hesitate to make any sweeping statements about the job, good or bad, after only 2 days, but so far, so good!