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poetic sunday

18 Sep

i’m dedicating sunday to be poem day. 

rof and i have a friend who writes poetry and i’m going to feature him here on sundays along with some of my poetry and favorite poetry.  if you have a poem you wrote or love, send it to me and it will be included.  have a great sunday.

i wrote this one when i was about 24 years old.

suburbia ordinaria

american the beautiful

vast

wall of brick

holding everything

the little pocketbook

can fit

wear what everyone else

wears

talk like everyone

talks

what is your suburban drug

of choice?

are u looking to get out

of the

subdivision wrapped in hell

bigger house

better school

a cul-de-sac of sameness

boredom and passionless

competition

living a life not their own

but

one that is cloned.

from peace massacre:

bliss found at the bottle’s bottom

peace shared by half a tab

sadness paused thru a shock

serenity held in a shot

euphoria found kissing the cousin of the dragon,

pressure expelled with a burn

prescription heaven.   vanished

 

phenomenal woman

lastly, i love maya angelou and i have the book with this in it and used to read it for inspiration
 
Pretty woman wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to fit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
 
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
They swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
 
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s the arch of my back
The sun in my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
 
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
I ought to make you proud
I say,
It’s the click of my heals,
The bend of my hair,
The need for my care.
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
 
 
 

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week in review

17 Sep

how was your week?

mine was very hectic crazy but all good!  highlights (without boring the heck out of you!) was i traveled to rochester, ny to be a guest speaker at a chevy dealer meeting regarding a program i’m doing in 27 markets.  the cool thing here was 1. never been to rochester, ny and 2. this is a client we don’t have so i met at a competitor’s agency and presented to clients we don’t have.  it was exciting. and the weather was awe-some.  nice and cold and rainy which is a nice break from texas 100+ degrees.  also went to a fantastic dinner party last night with some unbelievable food. this morning, rof and i went to church and we spoke on a panel of married people as the “newly married couple.”  this is where 8 other couples going through a pre-marriage class had the sheer joy to hear from us and also a couple that had been married 48 years and a couple with kids.   here are some pic’s:

sitting in minneapolis airport waiting for next flight

katie makes the best eggs

chip, suzanne, angie, cw and amanda social media talking

 

great friday nite dinner

 

 

can't believe they hung a sign! what customer service!

 

 

 

 

 

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best of houston: dana clover

16 Sep

i’m happy to have

the popular dana clover from the Homesteading Housewife blog.  dana is our chevy lma community manager in houston and i’m excited to get her take on that great city to my south – houston!

where in houston do you live  and how long have you lived there?
i have lived in several Houston area locations, but found fell in love with a small run-down farm about 35miles NE of town.  clover country farms is where I hang my hat and the Man-of-My-Dreams and i are working on raising our 5 kids and countless critters.

other than friends and family, what do you love the most about houston?
i love the fact that i can live out in the boonies in the middle of no-where, but am still within an hour of one of the best medical centers in the world, a theater district second only to new york and some of the best food anywhere!
In other words….  houston has it ALL!

if a friend was visiting you who had never been to Houston before, what would the top 3 non-food places you’d have to show them?
NASA (of course), The houston livestock show and rodeo , and the texas renaissance festival, wow! talk about diversity!

give us a great breakfast place, lunch place and your favorite casual dinner place?
well that’s easy!
my house
my house
and my house.
oh…  you meant the second best places to eat in houston right? heh sorry…

Hmmm, breakfast – there is a little place called the glass menagerie just north of houston that has an amazing sunday brunch, they have everything gourmet and beautiful, something VERY different from the farm and it is my “go-to” place when I can go out with my mother and sister and feel all fancy-like.

lunch- there is nothing better than hitting the kemah boardwalk for lunch on the water. i like the flying dutchman or landry’s for some yummy seafood right on the water.

oooh dinner! – hoffbrau steakhouse has the worlds BEST chicken fried steaks!  this is where i take all out-of-towners who were not born with a bottle of cream gravy in their mouth, they always fall in love with this texas staple!

so many people I work with and know are not from texas.  we’re constantly having to explain why texas is different than the rest of the country.  does your family have one tradition or activity that is truly texan?
wow…   that’s a LOADED question! i was born up north and got to texas as fast as I could, and the reason texas will always be home is the people.  i love the fact that when you pass another car driving down the road, they wave.  i love the how welcoming and warm texans are. texas is not just a state in America…. it is truly a state of mind!

if you couldn’t tell, i love to cook.  my BBQ cook-outs are as texan as they get. (my hubby built my smoker out of an old 500gal propane tank!) i spend more time cooking outside than I do cooking in my kitchen, and there is never a weekend where friends and family cannot be found getting all sticky w/ some BBQ sauce and having fun.  good foods & good friends is what texas was built on!

i’m a fan of BBQ. houston seems to be a great place to get it.  where should I go?  
well duh!  my back yard!
but, if i’m not home, i recommend  a tiny hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint called the “tin roof” they smoke some amazing meat!

Last question.  
if you could hold a happy hour with 5 people who would they be – living or dead – ?

Well…  it would be at my house for sure!

#1 & #2 would be my brothers dan and ryan, they died when I was younger and there is nothing I would love more than to introduce them to my boys.  they would have been the best uncles in the world!
#3 alton brown, because he is my boyfriend. (don’t tell my hubby tho!)
#4 carla emery, because I could have learned SO many homesteading skills from her!
#5 marlene, my friend from high school, so she could see alton and i together and finally admit that he is MINE!

by the way, dana, i love this photo from your blog

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5 lovely links (you’ll love): relax why don’t you?

13 Sep

i don’t know about you, but i love tuesday’s “5 lovely links” because it is fun finding them.  yesterday was so stressful (it was a monday) and so i decided to give you 5 links to help relieve stress.

tech note: oh yea, my mom wanted me to give a shout out to all of you who are receiving this via email.  click at the top of the email and you’ll be transferred to my actual blog.

now

the best thing to do to relax is to take a break or a vacation …but wouldn’t we be less tense if we took a little 5 minute break every hour or two to just refocus and clear our heads?  kinda like a “smoke break” in the mad men era.  i think so.

link #1

is called moodturn.com and you can check it out here.  this is a website that will turn your desktop into a sweet oasis.  now, i can’t say that i would listen to this at work but at home I can listen to the rain while working on something and because we haven’t had any in, like 4028, days it sounds pretty calming.  ahhhhh… but it also made me have to go to the bathroom after listening for a while. tee hee.

link #2

i don’t know who “angelcrack” is but he created a lovely relaxing playlist on 8tracks.  listen to it here.  it is appropriately called “calm down, bro”  how funny is that?  i most certainly did,bro.

link #3

ok, you’re for sure going to say “whatchatalkinaboutwillis” here.  but trust me.  let’s say you are in dire need of relaxation because you’re putting in 12 hour days at the office.  then you need to try this.  guided meditation.  i first was introduced to this when my dad had cancer and i was looking around on itunes for something for him to relax and found something similar to this.  must listen to this laying down with eyes closed.  don’t be afraid.  there is nothing hocus pocus about this.  it is just a mental break.  you can’t do this with ROF because he makes me giggle endlessly.  there is a british guy who is like the best at this named glenn harrold – which is who dad and i listened to – and ROF imitates his voice which cracks me up.

link #4

here is  a top 50 list of ways to relax.

and lastly,

link #5

i did this for only a moment, but very relaxing.  choose a fish on the left and they follow your mouse!  make them jump and twist.  relaxing, right?  i may have ‘jumped the shark’ with this one.  (sorry i couldn’t resist!)


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words to live by

12 Sep

… or just laugh at

all can be found in my curated collection on pinterest and all credit is there too.

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today is just another day

11 Sep

but not really… right?

welcome sunday. a sad sunday, albeit, as for what today was 10 years ago.  the sadness for all the loss – really unbearable and honestly, more than what our minds are capable of holding and digesting.

when i woke up this morning, i really wanted to turn on the TV and go back 10 years.  i felt the day deserved my attention and my tears.  i did turn it on briefly but then quickly snapped it off. not because i didn’t want to “go there” but because well…i didn’t want to go there.  and that is not disrespectful.  i think of 9-11 pretty much every time i fly.  every time i go through security and every time i kiss ROF good-bye at the airport.  i remember.

today, i decided not to tell my 9-11 story because, well,  who cares?  who cares about where i was because the only thing that matters is what was happening in NY/NJ, PA and DC.  my thoughts and prayers and love go to my friends and family in new jersey (because i know there are at least 2 of you!) reading this today and to the people affected around the world.   i decided not to show pictures or give you links to stories all of which i thought about doing.  you can get that on cnn.

do you remember how long it took to feel somewhat normal?  a long, long time.  i was so immersed in the stories both of heroism and of loss after 9-11.  being in chicago, i felt the entire country pull together and we were no longer from different cities, cultures, backgrounds – we were all one.  my friend melissa and i took our cameras and walked for miles around the city and took photos of all the flags and signs of solidarity and patriotism.

that’s it for today.  i had something else planned (ha! that you will see tomorrow)  boy do i appreciate all the people in this great country that keep our country as secure as possible  – from TSA to our armed forces to people in leadership positions for our country, for businesses and for families.  i appreciate people that have been through MORE PAIN than my mind could ever, ever comprehend.  i appreciate having God in my life to be able to make sense out of a completely senseless world.

love, me

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saturday: week in review

10 Sep

wow. 

this week was awesome.  i’m so appreciative of so many things.  it was labor day weekend and we had monday off and lots of stuff going on.  good friends, parties, birthdays (D turned 40!), seeing friends haven’t seen in a while.  but then it was back to work.

thankfully, i love my job (for real) and this week it took me to beautiful savannah, georgia.  although i did fly in a little early, i worked in my hotel room until dinner and then i got to walk the streets of this beautiful town. the chevy dealers and i got to talk social media the next morning (which is one of my favorite subjects!) this was the second time i got to spend time with them.  super nice.

lastly, ROF had to get his monthly injection in his left eye on friday morning.  seriously, is that not the WORST place ever to get a shot?  i needed to drive him home because he can’t see after that and is in a lot of pain.  thankfully we love his doctor who gave us the good news that there is no bleeding or fluid in his good eye and he can wait 6 weeks instead of 4 for another shot.  we decided that after each shot, once he rested, we’d go to our favorite restaurant, cane russo for dinner.  something to look forward.  so very very good.

here are some pics:

this was the best dinner i had in savannah ever!!

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inspirations & drags

9 Sep

ok, so with all the travel i do

i have found that i get the most work done in the air.  i mean REAL WORK.  not chase emails all over the place in one frenzy mess.  (did i say that out loud?)  but as many of you know, there is a window of time that you can’t have your laptop out but only your phone.  there is that small window.  i started a long time ago collecting words/phrases of things i find inspiring and things that are drags.  they are just quick nibs or bites and it took me a good couple of months to gather these lists on my cell phone while waiting for the lady to pass by and say ” turn that damn phone off!”

inspirations

Design books & mags
Vintage hippy things
Balanced mish mosh
Big ideas executed stylishly perfect
Blogs by creative fun playful people
The thought of not taking one too seriously (note: the thought)
Watching cooking shows make everything look so simple and easy
Airplane rides in first class with tons of magazines, no cell service or email
Shopping 4 the perfect thing designed in my mind – and finding it.
My husbands drive and passion for his friends, family & career
Sisters ability to be truly giving without expectations
My moms unwavering support and true interest in what you’re saying
PHPC way of showing us God from the top (pastors) down
Smart car dealers that are willing to be taught, experiment and connect with their audience
Using fine linen naps for pizza and Coke
House music – Chicago style
Cool restaurants
New York city
Woody Allen
Passion, design, decorate, inspire, uplift, care
Praying nonstop to God & Jesus
Unknown beauty aids
Smell of bacon, cut grass, tuberose, peonies, coffee
Saturday mornings
The feeling that everything is ok
Flying through rainstorms
Orange
Thoughtful gifts
When people say “this is so you!” which means I have a style they recognize
“I love to hear you laugh”
ROF driving me to the airport
Early morning
The word moxie
Picking up where you left off
Smell of: frying onions, pesto, aftershave, angel perfume, new books
New websites like wantist, pinterest
apps
Ina garten
seeing friends you haven’t seen in a while

i see all those as contributions to style.

now the drags.  usually written when in a bad mood.

Feeling helpless to take control of my weight
That little voice that says “it’s ok to have a smoke”
Stress pains
People who are negative and close-minded and stupid
People who talk about themselves…all.the.time…
The feeling that you have to prove yourself
Being called defensive –  like you aren’t allowed to defend yourself
People that don’t look where they’re walking
Feeling rushed
Feeling not pulled together

Being helpless to help someone going through a hard time
Wanting things
Fake plants or flowers
Entitled bloggers
Disheveled outfits
The word moist  
Driving in a city I don’t know
Eating something knowing I shouldn’t
The word pantie
Secrets
People that say “don’t tell anyone” ( I say it all the time)
Having an on-going mental list of “things I’ll never do” like be an Olympian or iron chef
Slowed metabolism
Weeding out friends
Hangovers
Monday mornings
Men that don’t stand up for women
People that rush to try to beat you in line
Moms who think that the whole world is as impressed with their kids as they are

I guess the question is here is – how much time do you spend dwelling on your inspirations and on your drags?

i pray we all focus on inspirations.  happy friday, folks.

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jeanie’s best of boston

7 Sep

by jeanie hornung, president of touchstone marketing group

what do you love the most about boston?

wow, that’s a tough question because I love so many things about boston.  but if I had to limit myself to “the most” then I would have to say  family (and friends).  

do you miss it?

desperately.  but not so desperately in the winter!

if you brought a friend to boston who had never been before, what would the top 3 non-food places you’d have to show them? 

fenway park, the freedom trail and nantucket.

give us a great breakfast place, lunch place and your favorite casual dinner place?

doyle’s in jamaica plain has the MOST amazing corned beef hash…none of that canned stuff, big chunks of corned beef and they serve the hash on english muffins with poached eggs and hollandaise.

for lunch  I would take you to a great seafood restaurant.  we just had  great lunch at the mill wharf on scituate harbor a couple of months ago.  the view is spectacular and we enjoyed  stuffed quahogs, clam chowder, shrimp cocktail and lobster rolls.

for dinner I would take you to my cousin richard’s restaurant woody’s.  they’ve been honored with a “Best of Boston” award for pizza.   their pizza is spectacular...thin crust in a cooked in a scorching wood fired oven.   it’s a real neighborhood restaurant located in the fenway section of boston.

where would you stay and why?

i would spend a few days in Boston at the four seasons and then spend a few days on nantucket at the white elephant.

if you were going to have a ‘power’ business lunch in boston, where would it be? 

The bristol lounge at the four seasons is a great place for lunch in Boston.

i’m a fan of seafood.  boston seems to be a great place to get it.  what kind of seafood do i HAVE to try in boston?

you have to go LOCAL when it comes to seafood, so you must have clams casino, clam chowder, stuffed quahogs, lobster (any way) and you have to have baked scrod.  boy ….i miss boston seafood!

Last question.
if you could hold a happy hour with 5 people who would they be – living or dead ?

my dad, gandhi, eleanor roosevelt, paul revere, anne frank and harriet tubman. my dad died when i was three and i’d sure like to enjoy a glass of wine with him. i’m a big history buff and have admired the others for some time.  their incredible bravery and courage in the face of adversity is admirable and i’d love to be able to spend time and converse with all of them.

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5 lovely links (you’ll love): orange is it

6 Sep

lately, i’ve been inspired by everything orange. 

is it because i’m desperately wanting october to arrive?  orange reminds me of the fall leaves that we do get, believe it or not, here in the big d.  or maybe orange reminds me of the morning which is my favorite time of the day.  the sun coming up…orange juice.  whatever it is  – orange is my color pop of choice.  not surprisingly, i don’t have a lot of orange in my house.  i’ll have to change that.   but here are 5 links to some cool pops of the color that i call my favorite:

print of chinoiserie chair by Anne Harwell

these are from the one, the only wisteria.   wisteria is located here in dallas.  and i am a fan.  my husband ROF, has been known to say to me “we don’t need anything” which is really always a true statement.  however the definition of the word, NEED, varies considerably depending on who you talk to.  right? my definition of NEED is very similar to the terminology of WANT.   which brings me back to wisteria.  oh wisteria.  this is a very high fahluton catalog with great stuff you’d have to be stupid to pay full price for.  the wisteria outlet is very close to me and i have gotten some very unbelievable deals there.  i also can walk into anyone’s house and tell instantly if they’re a fan.   call it a gift i have.  then we talk a language foreign to any non-wisteria fans.  kinda cultish.

decorating with orange is fun as an accent color. 

if i NEEDED new artwork, this is what i’d get.  to your left is a vintage horse poster from stories divinations i would frame and hang and then throw this great pillow (on your right) on the chair on the other side of the room.  these pillows from erin flett are fantastic.

finally but not leastly…

i want these so bad.  since ROF and i make a big deal about our morning coffee i love these retro espresso mugs with the splash of orange to pop out of the BROWN.  oooohhhh.  i can see us using these right now.  love-er-ly.  thank you jo and sonja for finding these.

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digging the hip chalkboard paint

5 Sep

an easy, inexpensive way to spruce up your home is with chalkboard paint. 

it’s great for kids, obviously, but i’m also talking about chic, cool ideas for decorating. here is my chalkboard paint for our kitchen pantry doors.  i took a barefoot contessa cookbook and had my nephew use his design, architect handwriting to write words from recipes.

i had him do the same for the kitchen cut-out but use the all-important cocktail words:

here are some other funky ways to use chalkboard paint. click on the picture to enlarge.

all links and credits to all pictures, you can get here at my pinterest board.  the last photo i took at a great crepe place in san francisco that i can’t remember the name!

happy labor day!  go paint something chalky.

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who is on your fridge?

4 Sep

today i’m re-posting an article from the harvard business review.  since you may have missed it from when i forwarded on from twitter, you need to read this gem today. 

read the real blog here.

who’s on your fridge?

by peter bregman

9:18 AM Wednesday August 31, 2011

I was lifting weights at my gym, a community center in New York City, when he caught my attention.

His name, I later found out, was Marvin Moster. He stood a few inches over five feet, mostly bald with some white hair on the sides of his head, sporting a mustache, and wearing a light blue shirt and dark blue shorts. In the obvious ways, he was unremarkable. And yet, I couldn’t help noticing him.

Continue reading →

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saturday: week in review

3 Sep

thankful to have had a fantastic week. 

no traveling this week but lots of work.  it started out last sunday with a breakfast fit for a king for ROF (my king) and moved on to monday and lunch with good friends and fantastic business associates (@jeaniehornung and the marvelous alex harland) @ rise no.1.  the sweetest slice of paris in dallas.  (notice a theme here)

Continue reading →

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i appreciate: samantha french

2 Sep

from samanthafrench.com

i adore her art.

thanks to victoria at sfgirlbybay for introducing me to her a while ago.  it is now even more exciting that sfgirlbybay has a great contest (which i gladly entered) with s. french.  her latest pool collection is so very refreshing to look at.  i love feeling something from art.  plus i’m a bit addicted to the color orange right now.  or obsessed might be a better word for it.

Continue reading →

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be inspired! quotes to get through

30 Aug

middle of the week… can we make it till friday?  let’s read together some words of inspiration and be happy. 

click on any one to make it bigger.

 

all these are from my board on pinterest.  all credits can be found there

be inspired !

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5 lovely links (you’ll love!): entertaining

29 Aug

no one likes to entertain more than me. 

maybe martha stewart.  i guess you could say that ROF and i like to do that more than anything.  there is nothing we like better than having good friends, good food & wine and of course, music.  almost every weekend we have people over if not all three nights!  we love to plan, shop, bake, cook and i love to put together playlists and table settings that are just perfect.  or close.  be sure to check out my montage below.

here are some fantastic entertaining links for today’s regular feature “5 lovely links”:

1. hit up ‘smitten kitchen’ for some party food:  click here

2. the ‘hostess with the mostess” blog has some awesome theme party ideas.  make sure you scroll to the bottom.  i love the “scotch & chocolate 40th birthday party” check these out (and there are a million ideas – great kid ideas too!)

from hostess with the mostess blog

4. everyone knows, the best place to get party decorations (of the cool kind) is on luna bazaar online

5 lastly, but not leastly…music.  look here!  food & wine magazine found the pros behind awesome vibe restaurant music  and check out all the playlists!  so excited i found this

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live from new jersey – hurricane lessons

28 Aug

we break into your regular scheduled programming

for an accounting of  hurricane irene damage.  guest recipe blogger and now on-the-scene reporter from new jersey, susan prendeville gives us some smart lessons learned this weekend.

before:

i was a little smug and mildly excited.  we had been getting calls and texts all day asking “are you ok, scared, ready”?  mikes favorite show is “man vs. wild”  – we will be fine, i assured.  we live on a hill, so there was really no danger of flooding.  we had done the things one does:  gone to the grocery store, had 5 days of water and food like the governor suggested.  we had collected candles and flashlights and batteries.  i had prepared some no-cook foods like quesadillas and potato salad and cut up fruit.  mike was home before the rain started in earnest.  we watched the weather channel, had a drink, made coffee and put it in a thermos for the morning.  all evening we felt ready, we were ready, it was a really nice evening!

during:

midnight.

i had fallen asleep a while ago but the wind and rain woke me.  i had a message from my brother ROF, clever fellow, asking if he had the right number –  he was asking for irene –  have her call him, haha and a text from ‘the appreciator’ saying that she had said a prayer for us.  i went into the living room with my computer and checked my facebook (so many clever and slightly alarmed hurricane posts), the storm tracker (still a few hours before the real storm hit), and then the news (serious…hype…who knows).  i was just turning off lights when we lost power so I grabbed a flashlight and went back to bed and then to sleep without too much trouble.

2:30am

oh yea, i think i forgot to mention that many big old trees surround our home. 

 mike heard a loud noise and bound from the bed and ran to the rear of the house which woke me and i followed him.  we figured out pretty quickly that a tree had fallen.  we went from window to window, upstairs and down, and almost all of them were covered in branches and leaves and the back door was blocked too. it was pitch dark out, the wind was whipping and the rain was pouring down.  we couldn’t see much but figured out that it was a maple by the leaves pressed against the window.  it must be the maple that stood by the great room, a favorite tree really, so sad.  now though, there was nothing to do but go back to bed and wait for mornings light. 

I lay there

and looked out the window at the treetops swaying wildly and the lightning flashes. I heard the thunder crashing and the rain beating the windows.   stomach was hurting, i was sweating, heart was pounding.  afraid, i cuddled against mike for comfort.  after what felt like a long time i finally fell back to sleep.

after:

mike and i slept until morning light and then we woke and looked around outside.  it was not one huge tree that fell but three huge trees.  one of the trees lies feet from the house and stretches the whole length of it.  tree limbs have torn the gutters and screens off the back of the house and crushed the air conditioner.  one of the trees is resting on both of our cars. 

 

we are lucky that the trees did not crush our house and that we survived!  i’m serious and i am no longer smug or excited. 

the moral:

evacuate, prepare, listen to the governor, prioritize, be humble, be thankful.

appreciate.

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5 lovely links (you’ll love)flash mobs

23 Aug

flash/smart mobs

for this tuesday’s edition of 5 lovely links (you’ll love!) i’ve gathered links to 5  flash mob youtube videos.  you may have seen these already but i’m starting with my favorite.  if you don’t know what a flash mob is, here is a wiki definition:

A flash mob (or flashmob)[1] is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, artistic expression or—in some cases—violence.[2][3][4] Flash mobs are organized via telecommunications, social media, or viral emails.

The term, coined in 2003, is generally not applied to events and performances organized for the purposes of politics (such as protests), commercial advertisement, publicity stunts that involve public relation firms, or paid professionals.In these cases of a planned purpose for the social activity in question, the term smart mobs is often applied instead.

the first one is one of my all-time favorites.  it would put me in such a good mood to be eating my boring sbarro pizza at lunch and be a part of watching this:

this one in san francisco to the who was very fun as well:

this smart mob by t-mobile was very very cool.  i remember this when it happened. 

watch this one at our own whole foods in austin.  you get a little sneak peak behind the scenes

then last, but certainly not least- here is a michael jackson tribute i loved from stockholm

would you do a flash mob?

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to all the dogs i’ve loved before

21 Aug

ever since i was trampled by a huge dog when i was 5 years old living in boston, i’ve wanted a dog.  we finally got one when we moved to michigan and i was in about the 5th grade.

it was a black lab named maggie. we had so many stories of her.

she ate exactly half of one of our thanksgiving meals.  like chomped right down the middle of casseroles and everything.  when she was a puppy, we trained her to sleep in the laundry room downstairs with the door shut.  it was hard training her because she was young and scared and would whine and whine and whine.  we’d go into mom and dads room and beg to go to her.  no.  then we found out that muffin, our hamster, had gotten loose and was terrorizing poor maggie.  so maggie dug a hole in the laundry room straight through the good ole yellow linoleum that was so popular back then. so there mom and dad.

then there was our golden retriever, tucker.  oh tucker.

this was the best dog ever.  we loved loved loved tucker that little *ucker.  we liked to say that to make mom go “oh stop”.  but really, this was the sweetest, friendliest golden ever.  have you ever met a golden you didn’t love?  he slept with me in bed for the two weeks i had mono in college.  and he listened to stories.  we would tell him every story behind every holiday and he would stare at your mouth and perk up his ears.  he also would shove rolled up socks in the laundry basket in his mouth – like maybe 5 or so at a time and then we would make him “speak”.  everyone got a big ole crack over that.

next, for me, there is wrigley.  my 110lb yellow lab

words do not describe how much i love the wigs.

i lived in dallas one year before getting wrigley.  it was a miserable year.  i worked hard, didn’t know anyone and really felt like a fish out of water.  then came this little bundle of pure lab love.  wrigley.  he took care of me.  this is a big boy and he protected me and loved me.  it was so nice to come home from work and be greeted by him and his big kisses.  he and i went everywhere together and i loved taking him to daycare during the day.  see i can be a mommy blogger too.  tee hee hee.

then i met ROF and got married.  lover-ly.  my life was perfect, except one thing.  wrigley isn’t too hot on ROF or his dog, max.  wrigley sat in between us.  and he licked ROF to pieces.  you know, typical lab.  but when wrigley nipped max in the nose for trying out his food, we needed to figure out what to do.  so my wonderful mom watchs wrigley for me.  she has been watching him for 2 years now.  i can’t give w away.  he’s my 8 year old baby.  he is so sweet.  i don’t want to confuse him any more.  plus he loves my mom.  but she is 70 years old and a 110lb lab is a lot of dog (and hair) for her to have.  what can i do?  this will not be solved right here as i tear up.

then there came max. 

max is ROF’s english bulldog.  ROF has created quite a character around max and speaks for him often. max is very proud of being english even though he is really from austin, texas.  he talks about wanting gin and walking on the opposite side of the road.  when we ask him why, he says “because i’m eeeennnglish!”  having never had a bulldog before i really didn’t know how to “read” max.  unlike labs, bulldogs don’t jump all over you and they certainly don’t listen to you.  not a bit.  they hear you, they consider obeying, but then they promptly go the other way.  ROF told me that max will obey but just on their own time.  really?   i tell him to sit and he does – but usually just across the room and 5 minutes after I ask.

we had a garage sale and we let max walk around and say hello to everyone.  then he crawled up on to a chair in the middle of the yard and sat down.  this is what people saw when they drove up:

here are some other things on max:

1. he is high maintenance.  you have to clean their folds, and their ears almost every day.

2. he has more gas than any human being.  and he is not shy about it. 

3. he is sweet and caring and not at all mean.  unless you tease him and/or put your cell phone near him.  doesn’t like either much.

4. snores

5. makes noises that you’ve never heard before if he wants something.  kind of like a stuck pig.  a high pitched whine that can turn into a growl at the end.  gets that from his dad.

6. has us trained to a tee.  whines when he wants to go out, get on the couch, eat.  that’s about it.

one time, max decided that his cousin, sophie, shouldn’t be the only one to have a cute little bed.  so we busted max sitting in little sophie’s bed.  he asked us “does this bed make my butt look big?”  you decide:

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say hello to max

20 Aug

there will be more on max later.  just say hello now…

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ah, mornings…

20 Aug

love saturday.

saturday morning flashback on 93XRT streaming radio, the smell of coffee … a full day of possibility before you.

and then it hits 107 degrees outside.  debbie downer, i am.

here is a photo i took this week while flying home from virginia.

make it a fantastic day.

so glad it’s friday

19 Aug

today, i’m sharing with you a superb social site

i’m getting as addicted to it as i am listening to ‘foster the people’.  the site is called ‘pinterest’. this is how i like to describe it:  do we all get 1043 magazines a month like i do?  think i’m kidding?  ask ROF who had to have a kind intervention with me.

it went like this:  “do you order magazines through the mail?” answer: yes.  “do you also buy them at the airport each week?” answer: yes.  “do you think if we ordered them all via subscriptions you could maybe not buy them anymore at the airport?” answer: yes (boldface lie) i think the answer should have been: sometimes.

anyhoo.

this website called pinterest.com lets you save things on line on a “board” just like a pushpin board.  THUS THE NAME.  so instead of ripping things out of all my mags, i can just pin them to my boards on this website.  mine looks like this:

and these little boxes link to the websites.  SO if you like to look at recipes on-line, you can just go to a website and hit the “pin it” button that you got off this website and it captures a picture right on to your board!  Now, i’m sure you’re asking…. well why is it social?  BECAUSE….

WE CAN ALL FOLLOW EACH OTHER!

so if my sister katie, or sister-in-law susan or mom joan want to clip a bunch of recipes AND i like what they like, then i can just follow them and see what they pin.  i love the world wide web!

happy friday!

tuesday: 5 lovely links (you’ll love)

15 Aug

everyone needs an soundtrack or anthem for their life.  right?

then again, maybe life is too broad, let’s take it back a couple levels.  not your life per se, as you may get tired of the same song over and over again,  but for your mood.  yes.  you know that song that gets your blood pumping, your mind racing.  maybe even anthem is too strong of a word as well.  it’s not as if we all need the theme from rocky to play constantly in our minds.  however, that would be nice, would it not? – it was an inspiring theme. 

Continue reading →

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vintage, retro madness

15 Aug

how many of you are eagerly anticipating the return of mad men on amc next year?  i am.

if you’re not hip to this show that will be going into its 5th season, then get hip.  no, really.  go get the entire first 4 seasons or buy them on itunes and watch 3 or 4 at a time.  get ready.  i will tell you that it took me a couple of episodes to get into it but rof and i did get into it.

kinda puts me in the mood

for more retro and vintage things.

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sunshine, so-cal & aunt sal

13 Aug

good morning sunshine.

this morning i want to perform a random act of appreciation to the one…the only...aunt sally. now, i want to point out that i have three wonderful aunts – aunt jean and aunt annette too. each deserves their own shout out. today i want to let my aunt sally know how much i appreciate her.

my aunt sally is my mom’s younger sister and they are very close. she has been not only a great sister to my mom but the two of them are very, very good friends. she was a third grade teacher for many years before retiring and even if you only spent a couple of minutes talking with her you can tell she was an excellent teacher. she’s kind and patient and loving.

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i love you, southwest airlines.

12 Aug

for those of you not as lucky as me to be able to fly all the time, you may not know how unbelievably cool southwest airlines. let me tell you why:

1. they fly through anything. for real. i used to fly southwest to houston every month when they flew into IAH. now they only fly into hobby but when the airport would literally shut down because of tornados, the only flights getting out were southwest. now i am exaggerating a little bit here. of course they would never put anyone in harms way. but when it seems all other airlines are delayed or cancel if the clouds even so much as sneeze a raindrop out – southwest goes goes goes. i actually love flying through bad weather but more on that later.

now i have to tell you one of my favorite sw storm stories.

Continue reading →

5 lovely links (you’ll love!)

9 Aug

today is all about etsy.

i have to admit.  i’m slow to the etsy game.  some of you are reading this and what you’re thinking falls into two camps:

1. no duh, amy.  etsy has been around forever. get with the program. 

or

2. what the hell is etsy?  you’re pretty cool, amy, for finding all these neat things!

there is absolutely no reason to leave your computer – like ever.  this little gem of a website has pretty much everything you’d ever want.   here is just a small sampling of a Christmas list i’m putting together – everything you can get on etsy.com

link #1: this shop is called the big harumph and they’re out of witchita, kansas.  not only do i l-o-v-e the word “harumph” but i love everything they have in their shop.   i’m thinking of collecting all these “love” posters, framing them and putting them all over our bathroom wall so when ROF gets ready in the morning, he can read them.  i love this shop!

link #2: peggy wolf is a german living in london. her illustrations for sale on etsy here are so incredible.  strong images of women.  i simply love them.  i added her to my circle  that is etsy-talk, by the way.

link #3: (left) is this the cutest damn dog collar in the world?  if you don’t have a dog, i bet you want to go get one now just so he can wear this collar.  this shop on etsy, is out of chicago and it’s called sillybuddy.  link #4 (right) this store is called luciousart and he is also from chicago (no surprise, here).  he calls his shop vintage animal and city art.  this is an i love new york card.

link #5: alfredo is in tuscon and he is a designer and makes all these (tons) of clutches himself.  they are very colorful and fun.

hope you enjoyed the links today.  make it a good one-

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j’aime paris

8 Aug

first of all,

i’d like to let you know how much fun i’m having writing this blog.  it has become a hobby, a past-time, a creative outlet.  i am filled with so much passion for so many things, it’s nice to release it somehow, if only to myself.  so what may seem random to you, is not so much to me.  that brings us to today, monday and some random musings on paris.

i’ve never been to paris…

but i’ve always wanted to go.  i blame the urge on my first boss (actually president of the ad agency) who introduced me to the book “a moveable feast” by ernest hemingway.  are you a fan?  it was actually published 2 or 3 years after hemingway died.  it was started by him then compiled by his 4th wife and widow from trunkfuls of his writing when he was in paris.  i heard somewhere that if you read the book aloud to a blind person, they would be able to clearly visualize what paris was like.  i imagine that would be the same for someone who had never been to paris, like moi.  the name from the book came from a friend of his who played a part in the editing.  hemingway told him this about paris:

If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man,

then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you,

for Paris is a moveable feast.

“All of the sadness of the city came suddenly with the first cold rains of winter, and there were no more tops to the high white houses as you walked but only the wet blackness of the street and the closed doors of the small shops, the herb sellers, the stationery and the newspaper shops, the midwife – second class – and the hotel where Verlaine and died where I had a room on the top floor where I worked.”  -Ernest Hemingway, “A Good Cafe on the Place St.-Michel,” A Moveable Feast

“But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen. When the cold rains kept on and killed the spring, it was as though a young person had died for no reason.”
-Ernest Hemingway, “People of the Seine,” A Moveable Feast

“But for a long time it was enough just to be back in our part of Paris and away from the track and to bet on your own life and work, and on the painters that you knew and not try to make your living gambling and call it by some other name.“
-Ernest Hemingway, “The End of an Avocation,” A Moveable Feast

“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” -Ernest Hemingway

When I woke with the windows open and the moonlight on the roofs of the tall houses, it was there. I put my face away from the moonlight into the shadow but I could not sleep and lay awake thinking about it. We had both wakened twice in the night and my wife slept sweetly now with the moonlight on her face. I had to try to think it out and I was too stupid. Life had seemed so simple that morning when I had wakened and found the false spring…But Paris was a very old city and we were young and nothing was simple there, not even poverty, nor sudden money, nor the moonlight, nor right and wrong nor the breathing of someone who lay beside you in the moonlight”  – Ernest Hemingway, a moveable feast

i guess you could say that this is imaginary appreciation of paris.  at least until i get a chance to go.

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saturday night nosh

7 Aug

no blog post today,

just a shout out to the deckers for a fab, delish dinner last night.  we thank you much.   stay cool everyone-

random appreciation being smacked all around (katie)

6 Aug

For many years we’ve shared our lives
One roof we once lived under
Sometimes we laughed, sometimes we cried
Through winter storms and thunder

The younger years have faded fast
But through all times our friendship lasts
Our bond in life remains

As summer brings the happy times
The autumn winds will whisper
A closer friend I’d never find
Than the one I call my sister

(Vernon, 1985)

random act of appreciation today goes out to my sister, katie. 

here is what i appreciate about her:

1. her ability to make people laugh – like seriously laugh – not fake laugh.  just damn funny, that girl is!  however she also has a great ability to …

2. overlaugh.  we call that an “OL”.  sometimes she thinks things are so funny, she does an outside laugh inside and gets some stares.  We all typically chime in and say “OL”.  it always makes us giggle.

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the 40 year old engagement

5 Aug

when you’re a girl,

you start thinking about your wedding day early on.  there is so much tradition, beauty and fantasy (and fluff) surrounding the ceremony.  some get so caught up in either trying to get married or the ceremony that who they’re marrying becomes secondary or sometimes not even thirdly or fourthly.   i lived through a lot of that in my 20’s and 30’s.

i always knew i would get married.  never thought i would be 40 before getting married for the first time.   but in hindsight… i’m oh so glad i waited.  it was perfect for me.  maybe it was because it was ground in my head  (as only a protective father can do) as a young girl to “never settle” and to be able to support myself.  so i never settled.  came very close several times,  but thank god i waited.

which brings me to today.  i mean, this day last year.  this very evening,  ROF proposed to me.  in the fairy tale kind of way many tween girls dream about.  boy was i glad i waited.  this weekend last year was one of my favorites ever in all of my 40 years.

i was clueless.  completely.  stop laughing and saying (what’s new?)

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5 lovely links (you’ll love)

2 Aug

today is all about design.

did you get the memo?  well, stop thinking about your “to do” list and check out today’s 5 lovely design links.  i think you’ll totally love these.  for sure.  for sure.

link #1: sfgirlbybay.   i’m sure i’ve talked about victoria elsewhere in this blog but love isn’t a strong enough verb to describe her blog.  oh, and she’s got the followers to prove it.  it is my addiction.  click on over and check her out.  she is in san fran, by the way.

link #2: belle maison.  julie’s website here has beautiful, wonderful rooms and looks.

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watching movies as a hobby

1 Aug

ROF and i decided, about a year and a half ago, to start watching the american film institutes (afi) top 100 movies of all time.  i highly recommend you give it a try.  it will take years.  we are only on #61 working our way backwards from 100 to #1.

i have cheated, ROF has not.

i can not sit through one more freaking charlie chaplin movie ever ever ever again.  i do not care if his movies were break-through but they were not funny and boring as hell.  this is my blog and i can say whatever i want. i did not watch shane because i have a medical condition called ADD.  and the first sign of a wagon wheel i ran for my laptop and feigned interest for the first half hour then got up and left.

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smarty pants- smart apps for your smart phone

31 Jul

hi.  my name is amy and I’m an appaholic. 

if you have an iphone then here are some must-have apps for it.  who uses a phone for just talking nowadays?  they come in real handy if you are at, say, jury duty or somewhere there is a lot of waiting.  or for a sunday afternoon as you plan your week.  these can help.  and some are just plain fun.

food apps.

there are a ton of great recipe and food apps.  they make it real handy for you to put together a quick dinner and have your shopping list populate right there on your phone.  search for these 2 in particular:

1. cooking light app.  here you pick a main dish click on ‘suggested menu’ and it pulls together suggested sides, veggies and dessert.  you can change out any of those too.

2. you already know i’m a fan of martha – here everyday food app has FRESH & EASY recipes

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saturday schmattery

30 Jul

this morning finds ROF and i out at robson ranch visiting mom.  or joan as we affectionately call her.  so far, ROF and mom are deep in a game of gin.  here are some fun images i found on mom’s computer from days long ago.  we’re off to the pool on this HOT texas afternoon.

i want to see my name up in lights

29 Jul

i love monograms, don’t you? 

who doesn’t like to see their name or heck, even just their initals printed on something?  ROF does something really cool.  listen up.  it’s something that i first teased him about relentlessly but after hearing his pov, like the idea.  ROF’s really big into monogrammed cups and napkins for special occasions.  i was first introduced to this while dating and caught a glimpse of his vast collection of past ROF event cups.  he used to have annual summer and winter parties at his house (they were epic, he says) and for every party, he had the theme printed on a big, white stryrofoam cup.  he has a collection of leftovers that span several years.  then we got married and little did i know that we needed about 250 (discount!) amy & robert cups and napkins.  lastly, we threw my mom a surprise 70th birthday party – something ROF really did a great job on and we got joan some cups and napkins too (only about 5 years worth).  ROF told me that he likes to do this because it is a great reminder of the party.  and he is exactly correct.  we make “to-go” espresso in our amy & robert cups and i do think about our wedding weekend.

i think you’re really going to dig these monogrammed things i’ve collected for you.  check these out:

starting from the upper left hand corner and moving down:  hands down, best monogrammed stationary out there from fabulous stationary, design sponge’s DIY lighted initial sign,  Paula Deen’s cookies,  glass cutting board by three of a kind, aren’t these glasses awesome, for real?  they are on etsy.  also on etsy are all kinds of terrific vintage letters.  even if you’re not into vintage – toss one of these letters in your space.  and for conversation choose one that represents a favorite word (mine is moxie!), these soaps from mulberry moon are the opposite from me: dainty but i love them, pottery barn has these outdoor pillows and lastly, trendy treasures has this adorable calabash bowl.  consider this my christmas wish list!

happy friday to you!

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5 lovely links (you’ll love)

25 Jul

could it possibly be any hotter?

raise your hand if you’ve had it.  this is insane, crazy heat down here in texas and from what i read – pretty much everywhere.  Here are some links to make it better.  at least maybe a little bit…

Cool Link #1: what cools you down more than ice?  well, forget those boring, ice machine ice cubes!  Real Simple magazine has some real creative cube trays, you must check out here.

Cool Link #2: Martha (Stewart, that is) has a ton of fantastic recipes for cucumbers.  after all, we want to be cool as a cuke.

Cool Link #3: Real Beauty has some ideas for some instant chill pills and beauty products.  these are real ingenious.  Visit them here.

Cool Link #4:  what do you care the most about in this heat?  B.O. of course!  daily candy ran these deos through the ringer and you’ve got to check some out.  let me know your thoughts.

and then lastly… check out refinery 29’s site that covers these sweet popsicle molds.  clever, clever, clever!

what keeps you cool?  tell me below.  thanks for reading

Amy

what a deal!

25 Jul

monday morning rush to work is under way, pining towards another weekend.  this weekend was full of friends and family.  as posted earlier, we said goodbye to bill on saturday morning.  very bittersweet – glad for his summer to start, sad for us saps who just loved having a “younger gent” around.  my quest for staying relevant is up against just plain… age.  Anyhoo… the rest of the weekend was fantastic.  paul & kelly came over for dinner saturday night.  i did a french theme dinner table (see below) and we had:

pounded down chicken breasts marinated in white wine and herbs

french potatoes – chives, olive oil, white wine vinegar and such

asparagus – the thin, skinny kind

sunday, we had the voet’s – joe, sarah & nola over for cards.  we have a monthly on-going spades game – girls against boys – and even with lil nola helping us, the girls lost.  ok, it might have been me losing nil in the very last trick played.  arguably, cards is the single most fun time you can have with other people.  i wish it was more prevalent in our day and age.   not only can you sit and catch up, but you are all focused on playing cards, smack talking and breakouts of giggles.  i don’t know about you, but sometimes i don’t want to make conversation and worry about making sure everyone is having fun.  yes, i worry about that.  kind of a self-imposed ringmaster of sorts.  cards takes that all away.  we ordered a pizza, screamed, yelled, hit each other, laughed and got caught up on activities done over the past month.  oh, what a good time.  here are the best card games for groups:

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friday night fun @ mi cocina

23 Jul

nothing like mi cocina in dallas on a balmy friday night.  highland park was chock full of awkward teenagers in their grown-up outfits, couples, girls night out groups.  appreciate their bacon wrapped shrimp and ice cold margaritas.

of course we couldn’t go out before a heated happy hour of gin rummy.  girls whipped the boys.

mend well, my friend

22 Jul

hello friday.  wow, thought you’d never come.  travels this week only took me to beautiful detroit and back but feel as if i’ve been through a lot.  so hello weekend!  this is going to be jam packed,  but one that we say good-bye to bill who is our nephew and has been staying here for 6+ weeks.  as i’ve mentioned here,  bill has been a blast to have around.  it’s not often that you meet a 20 year old that is so fun to talk to (not all about him) and respectful (jumps up to help all the time) and just plain cool.  i can’t tell you how much ROF and i have gotten out of having him around – or maybe i just did.

now, i didn’t have this blog when his older brother, mike was here in the big d.  we loved having him here too & miss him a lot.  so it has been a pure joy having both the prendeville boys around this year – big time.

this is bill's older bro, mike

this post is dedicated (in true appreciator style) to susan prendeville.  my wonderful friend and SIL (sister in law) who had a bad biking accident a while ago,  just had surgery on her shoulder and has started her summer out…slowly… recouping.  she is the wonderful mom of two great guys and one great girl.  thanks for sharing mike and bill with us.  today’s friday mix tape is for you.  SO, this is what i want you to do. download the 8track app on your iphone (free), sign up via facebook and listen to this mix.  take it outside, get some sun, take it easy, mend well and have fun this weekend.  this weeks mix tape can be found here.  love amy  oh! check out some photos here…

bill, damien, rof

Open top bus in San Antonio.

cruising around san antonio

playing with his food before eating it

hitting the streets with uncle b in san antonio

victor tangos night.

5 lovely links (you’ll love)

19 Jul

today’s issue of 5 lovely links will be divided by 5 lovely subjects:

food: reading her book now, has a restaurant in seattle, met her husband via writing her blog, writes for several magazines and she’s a little over 30 years old.  great book by the way.  say hello to orangette

interior design:  check out ‘the berry.com’ and dream bedrooms here

education:  i learn better with pictures and good.is does infographics the best.  Check these out.

music: pick your artist, it plays what you like.  Kind of like pandora but not.  jam on it. 

random: ah, this is so cool.  click here and scroll down to see some old photographs in today’s places.    

i hope you enjoy these as much as i do.

until tomorrow…

love amy

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new york in black & white

18 Jul

i could be woody allen’s #1 fan.

wait wait.  i know what you’re thinking.  and before you judge me and say “how could you, he is sic, he married his wife’s adopted daughter etc…” i understand.  but hear my story first. long before all that drama…

it was my senior year in college and i took an urban life in media and film class.  it was supposed to be a blow off class but wasn’t and i got a lot out of it. it was there that i saw my first woody allen movie called Manhattan.

the scene opens with him reading lines from the start of a play, showing black & white, romantic shots of new york city dramatically shown to the tunes of George Gershwin.  he had me at hello…

“Chapter one. “ “He adored New York City. He idolised it all out of proportion. “
Uh, no. Make that “He romanticised it all out of proportion. “
“To him, no matter what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black and white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin. “
Uh… no. Let me start this over.
“Chapter one. “ “He was too romantic about Manhattan, as he was about everything else.”

sitting in that class, i realized that someone had captured in words and music the passion i felt for life and big city.  this was about a city i loved – nyc – but it was also how i felt about my city of chicago.  i used to take the metro train from naperville to the city and walk about 9 blocks to college.  i loved the crisp, morning air and even the monotony of the 9 to 5’ers as they took for granted their big city routine.  not me!  i didn’t take it for granted,  i loved it.  i was 21 years old and had my whole life ahead of me.  the best part about that last sentence was that i knew i had a lot of good things in which to look forward.   to me, the mornings on the train  – watching the suburbs pass slowly then whiz past the beige industrial areas then the anticipation as the train slowed again to enter the big city  – all had the background music of George Gershwin.  the day pulsated with hope, zest and young optimism.  Continue reading →

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smell the peonies

16 Jul

some could say that I’m a flower snob.

is there any other way to be?  fresh flowers bring color and life and it’s reasonable to have flowers every week around your house.  right now I’ve got huge sunflowers but my favorite is the peony.  this isn’t a shocker because they’re pretty popular.  it’s hard to get peonies because they are only available 2x a year.  I think – at least in Texas.  in doing in-depth research for this blog post, I’ve discovered that peonies are often used in tattoos.

i love walking into wf  (best place to get flowers in Dallas believe it or not – everyday flowers, I’m referring to here) and seeing those little bundles of joy.  they are only around for a week or two and only twice a year.  there, i just justified the expense.  it ranks up there in excitement for me with seeing a new magazine sitting in the mail pile or buying new coffee mugs from Anthropologie.

it’s the simple things in life i appreciate.  these peonies are the real thing, right from my kitchen table.  kinda makes you want to listen to this french mix i made here, sip a nice big cup of latte’ and smell the peonies.


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making billy lunch

13 Jul

he doesn’t really go by billy, i thought it looked good up there in the subject line.

my husband and i are in what is called a DINK category.  dual-income-no-kids.  really?  can’t it be something a little hipper, like … the RELATE category?  really-enjoying-life-and-the-energy.  that was lame.  anyhoo…

our nephew has been staying with us for several weeks and we’ve had so much fun.  he’s 20, in college and doing an internship here in big d.  what a hard working, fun and outgoing guy.  but other than having him around, i love making him lunch!  is that something that moms get to do every day?  it’s a responsibility i have found i like.  he leaves for work at 7am and returns around 7pm and always comments on my sammie.  honestly,  it’s better than “nice hair” or “cool dinner”.  he’s like “i loved that bread you used today” or “did you mix salad dressing up with the lettuce – cool!”   for the first time yesterday, ROF sheepishly asked “will you make me some lunch today?”  ha!  sure, I’ll make anyone a sammie.  i guess i’m pretty good at it. 

check out this SWANK cutting board I got for a wedding gift.
More tomorrow-

Anyone have any other acronyms for married-happy-no-kids that works?

Amy

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5 lovely links (you’ll love)

12 Jul

i’ve replaced a weak TV viewing habit with an on-line, purely digital habit.  in case you’re wondering, i still watch taped Barefoot Contessa shows a lot.  that obsession is another blog post.   i think you’ll be interested in some of the things i’ve found on-line.

1. check out lonny magazine’s latest issue.  287 on-line pages (free!) of great, hip design and fun commentary.

2. 1 kind design has this incredible rustic barn i can not get out of my mind and other houses.  Great site!

3. there are some  local websites that give you cool places to go, drinks to drink, scenes to be seen.  here are a few of them (they all count as one – bonus!)

UrbanDaddy

Daily Candy

Living Social

4. Extra Virgin:  tv cooking show and website with actress debi mazar and husband

5. last but not least, check out this site for some very unusual but interesting artwork!

hope you enjoy these!  until tomorrow, my friends

amy

the right mix

11 Jul

music should transport you to a different, higher level than where you are.  it’s a vibe that shouldn’t just be pleasant to your ears, but elevate your mood, enhance your surroundings, lift your spirits.  like when you walk into a funky restaurant and although the place is cool, it’s the back-beats that make you feel a part of the place, not just a diner.  you can have the same effect at home.  there is nothing i like more than spending an hour or two on a saturday morning pulling together a good ole fashioned mix tape or playlist as they’re now called.  and no, i’m not a music snob where every song must be one you’ve never heard of before.  pull this one on while you’re buzzing around the house and see where it will transport you.   Click here:

http://8tracks.com/amy_fulford/the-appreciator-july-playlist

mom, otherwise know as, joan

9 Jul

appreciating mom for her ability to listen so well, care so deeply and laugh much.  nothing better than an evening of joan, cards, steaks on the grill, chardonnay in the glass and moby on the sound system.

you are truly magnificent

9 Jul

how do i love thee, ROF?  too numerous to count thy ways.  you love me, take care of me and that (first and foremost) is cool.  after that it’s a mash of a million things –  some of which i will try to capture here.   the great friend you are to your great friends, filling my car up with gas and backing it into the driveway, fixing weekend cocktails with such flourish, your excellent grilling and cooking staples of flank steak, buttery noodles with onion, tin-foil wrapped talapia, your packing abilities, sense of humor, love of your family and of mine, strive to know God and love what he loves, mentoring your nephews, white-man overbite dancing habits, how you are cocky when you’re winning at gin and sulky when you are losing (probably due to the fact that you’re the youngest…), the countless lists that I tease you about but secretly envy, the goals you have laminated and posted in our bathroom as a daily reminder and your jokes… too numerous to count-

our house

9 Jul

typically i get pretty bored pretty fast with my immediate surroundings.  constantly updating and changing furniture, artwork and “things” is my thing.  not so much with our current house.  i really like it a lot and miss it when i’m gone.  here are some pics:

Road Trips

8 Jul

the smell of the open road, feet on the dash, vintage rock on the speakers.  i love road trips.  never much considered myself someone who loved to drive but with all the travel I do for work, hitting the road has become a new passion.  i can snap pics while lovely ROF drives.  we laugh, listen to whacky podcasts, do a mental walk-through of houses we like, share inside jokes, drink mega sippy cups of diet coke.  we’ve driven from the big D out to Houston, to Scottsdale, to Colorado and now to San Antonio for a weekend retreat.  lovely ROF should write a blog on preparing for road trips.  some say he is kind of an expert. (“it ain’t braggin’ if you’re doin’ it” ) expert cooler/snack & drink (the adult kind) packer and trip organizer.  even with the advance of GPS technologies, he still writes AAA and gets the trip map packs that detail out our journey.  i snicker but when I ask WHERE THE HELL ARE WE? in the car, he just whips that map out and points.  he also adds a little “see…I know what I’m doing” smile.  i deserve that.  can’t wait for the weekend get away.

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