The perfect summer work dress, on sale

The title says it all. I have this dress in two patterns (Blues Garden Flowers and Dark Turquoise Stamp Geo) and every single time I wear it I get kudos. So cute and flattering! So practical (pockets)! So easy (won't wrinkle)! So cool (breathable fabric)! So "did she or did she not have a baby eight months ago." (In my daydreams, at least.)

It's called the "Casual Weekend Dress," which is a misnomer. Perhaps in Boden-land, ladies are frolicking at the dog park in this number, but to me this is an office dress. Fair warning: I do have to be conscious of cleavage wearing it (no leaning over the conference table during meetings), but I think as long as you're average-sized and/or not lactating, you won't have that issue.

Anyway, it's on sale - and I actually bought my second with a (since expired) additional percentage off coupon, so google away! These dresses are all I'm packing for my upcoming work trip to hothothot Tucson (one week from today - gulp).

That concludes today's PSA. Although on second thought, I might need some solid colors, too...

Isn't that always the way? (Vanity edition)

Remember that time I wrote about my favorite tinted lip balm being discontinued, and how crushing that was to my delicate, chapped-lip psyche, but how I finally found a replacement? It's been over three happy years since that post, and I now have Laura Mercier Hydratints in Berry and Crimson stashed in bags and drawers everywhere. Chances are any photo taken of me since that post involves me wearing one of those two colors.

A few key tubes - my work bag and desk drawer versions - were getting low, so I popped online to buy more and....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god. No really. Seriously. NO!

Hydratints are now discontinued, too.

I was way late on this news, apparently - I can't find stragglers anywhere. And to be honest, I can't really wrap my head around why I'm the only one who seems to love sheer lip color in chapstick-style tubes. You can apply them without looking in a mirror and know you look fine, and apply them in the middle of a work meeting full of men without feeling prissy. DONE.

Are there any replacement suggestions out there? Ugh, so annoyed. Excuse me while I shed a tear adding to my Discontinued Hall of Fame List:

• Laura Mercier Hydratint line
• Frederic Fekkai Luscious Curl line
• Chanel Aqualumiere in Porto Rodondo
• Neutrogena Moistureshine Tinted Lip Balm line
• Kiehl's Ultra Moisturizing Buffing Cream with Scrub Particles
• Laura Mercier Just Lips
• Origins Shedonism line

Friday I'm in Love

This was a week of milestones: My dad is back in the country after three long months in Saudi Arabia and Miss H's first tooth poked through to say hi. Before I head offline for a weekend of gardening and parental visits, here are some fun picks for the week. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Wooden Volkswagen Beetle

 

This is kinda the coolest thing ever made. A Bosnian man spent two years covering a Volkswagen Beetle in wood - 50,000 separate pieces of oak, to be exact. Holy awesome.

 

 

Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs: The Opera

 

This will only resonate for any planning nerds who may happen to be reading, but if you're out there, HOLY CRAP A ROBERT MOSES AND JANE JACOBS OPERA. I am there. Do you think the cast will sign my dusty graduate school thesis?

 

 

Black Jade Pencil

 

I recently lost one of my two favorite eye pencils. Grrrrr. I'd had it for years and had plenty left for another couple of years, too, so it was a no-brainer replacement. Green-eyed gals, get your hands on this standby for me: Chanel Le Crayon Kohl in Black Jade. It's pricey but as I said, lasts forever and makes eyes like mine pop like no one's business.

 

Friday I'm in Love

Oh, Olympic fatigue. For two weeks, you ruin us with your late nights and your heart-stopping moments and your tears. Yet I wouldn't have it any other way. (GABBBBBBBBBY!!!!!!!) So while I'm bidding adieu to swimming and waving hello to track this weekend, I hope to also recharge my energy tank and maintain a happy-sleepy vibe all weekend long. No big plans, no big projects, just my guy and my cats, on the couch and in our neighborhood. Sounds perfectly mellow right about now. On to my picks for the week!

Dieter Braun Olympic Print

So much yes on this beauty. And wouldn't you know it'd look perfect in my upstairs hallway?

Sombrilla Sun Shade

Having just returned from a beach weekend myself, I'm loving the idea of these Sombrilla Sun Shades (hat tip to Remodelista), especially for families with kiddos in tow. Beach umbrellas are so bulky, and beach tents are such a pain to set up on a windy beach (my sister and I embarked on that comedy of errors last year, only to have poor Liam scraped by a blowing pole). These lovely sun shades, though, are simple, gorgeous, portable, and practical... what more do you need?

Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art

I recently enjoyed the hell out of this book, and if you like abusdist comedic premises, you might, too. Christopher Moore has a bit of Tom Robbins to him, for those of you looking for a comparable author. He brings art legends (Renoir, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Monet, so many more) to life and ties them together in the most improbable of ways. Part mystery, part thriller, part romance, part science fiction, part historical fiction... this book has everything except for a satisfying ending. (Although I think I might be alone on that note? Read it so we can discuss the ending. And cast the fantasy movie.) Ready yourself for awkward laughing-out-loud moments on trains and such. (Or from underneath your Sombrilla sun shade?) Note to DCers - this one's available in the library.

Friday I'm in Love

Hi friends! I'm working out of T's company's New York office today... all the better to scoot up to Connecticut tonight in time for family dinner. Last night we ate at Babbo, which has long been on my to-do list, and tonight we'll eat at a longtime family fave, The Place. From chianti-stained pappardelle to clams and corn on a tree stump... I try to be well-rounded, you know?

My view today... not too shabby

I hope your weekends are full of good cheer. Here are some tidbits from my world this week. Have a good one!

Women's Congressional Softball Game

One of my favorite things about living in DC are those moments when you realize our nation's capital is actually just sort of... a small town. Cue our neighborhood elementary school athletic field hosting the Women's Congressional Softball Game this week. Nerd Celebrity people-watching (my favorite kind), long-lost friends in the crowd, a favorite senator on the mound and a favorite congresswoman wielding pom poms, playing against the Media team featuring a slew of fantastic female journalists. Oh, and Andrea Mitchell and Sen. Klobuchar as the play-by-play and color announcers? I think I have to attend every year now.

Fur Rugs?

Are these rugs ridiculous, or as amazing as I suspect? Because I sort of love them. One on each side of the bed to greet our cold feet in the morning? Cats who will love us forever because we just brought the coziest rugs of all time into the house? I'm on to something here, right?



Lace Flower Pots

I'm totally charmed by this simple DIY. These would be adorable hanging out in my sunny office window back in DC. I think it's glue gun time!

This and that

This is one of those weeks where I look up and am shocked to discover that it's already Wednesday. So before the week escapes me completely, some tidbits:

Bedroom Progress

On Saturday we painted our bedroom, set up the new furniture, and purged. Let me tell you... that felt pretty awesome. I'm excited about finally getting the room to a good point and sharing it with you. I've even caught myself just hanging out up there, it's getting so clean and pretty. That's pretty major considering it used to be my least favorite place in the house. Putting together a gallery display over the bed is going to take some time, but I think the end result will be great. (By the way, see how the curtains aren't long enough? I've been meaning to fix that problem for over a year.)

TJ at the office

My latest eBay find: one of the Nationals presidential bobbleheads. Those racing presidents are one of my favorite things ever... of course I had to have this.

Oops

Speaking of the Nats, at the ballpark on Sunday I acquired the most awkward sunburn in the history of awkward sunburns. Let's just say that unclothed, I still look like I'm wearing a white v-neck tee. I'm desperately trying to correct the situation with strategically applied self-tanner in advance of our family portrait on July 6. Something tells me white shoulders with a sundress isn't a great look. When will I learn?

HBO, Always

This week it's 100 degrees outside, so I feel less guilty than usual blathering on about television. Tell me - is anyone else despondent that Girls is over? The show completely won me over, due almost entirely to Lena Dunham's writing. I mean, "she wears floral capris like her hymen’s still intact," are you kidding me? That line just kills me. Another television obsession of late that I already miss: Veep. An instant classic, that show. Since I'm already sharing raunchy lines today, how about Veep's spit-out-my-drink analogy of "that's like using a croissant as a fucking dildo." Oh, yes. One facial expression from the man I will always call Buster Bluth and I am done for, completely. And finally... we have entered the land of Game of Thrones, at long last. We're making our way through Season 1 via Netflix, and yep... everyone who told me we'd get hooked on this show, you were correct.

Friday I'm in Love

I'm looking forward to a weekend in DC where we shall slooooooooooow down. My plans include tinkering around the house, garden, and neighborhood, hanging out with friends, and booing the Yankees. Sounds pretty perfect to me right now. I hope your weekends are filled with slow goodness, too. Here's three little links from me to wrap up the week. See you on the flip side!

'Grow Your Own' Calendar

 I'm obsessed with this gorgeous planting guide print, available here and discovered here. I'd love it if they would expand their reach and include planting seasons for places other than England. Perhaps my Grandma Jessie Mae can be the planting expert for the Eastern NC calendar... But would I choose that one, or the Mid-Atlantic guide? Hypothetical decisions abound! Regardless, this piece would be perfect hanging in any kitchen or back porch, don't you think?

Bedroom Upgrades

 I recently received a much-deserved (if I do say so myself) promotion and raise, and to celebrate, I ordered a piece of furniture I've been ogling for ages. Actually, I ordered two! These gorgeous Bedford Chests will serve as beefed-up nightstands for us, filling out a wall where we have space for more substantial furniture in what is otherwise wasted by only using small nightstands. I'm so.flipping.pumped that we're about to have more storage in our bedroom. We are ever so slowly getting a vision for what that room can become (only a year and a half after moving in... why does the bedroom always get shortchanged in my world?). I think I might even do some painting this weekend... it's been too long since these hands wielded a brush! The dressers are delivered Saturday... color me excited.

More Belle Boggs

 I know I recommended a Belle Boggs article last week, too, but this one was just too beautiful to go without mention. It was sent to me by my friend Cate (join me in wishing she was blogging again, why don't you?), and with good reason. In this piece (Yearning for Conception: The Art of Waiting), Boggs reminds me of Barbara Kingsolver in my annual spring/summer read Prodigal Summer. There's infertility, sure, but it's woven into the fabric of the NC Zoo, biology, and nature. Gorgeous stuff.

Friday I'm in Love

I'm so pumped it's Friday today that I'm flashing back to my teen cousins visiting last summer and wishing they were here incessantly singing "Friday" to me. Yep, that annoying song (I'd rather link to Glee boys than the esteemed writer/performer herself - so shoot me). After a hectic work week, I'm off to North Carolina tonight to attend the birthday party of my favorite three-year-old boy and to hang with the rest of the crazy crew sharing my bloodline. I predict lots of laughs, which is a good thing, because I'm ready for them. Here are a few links to round out the week:

Lego Bird Creations

I was a Lego kid, and so is another kid I know. If these cool bird projects were sold by Lego, I absolutely would've snapped one up for his birthday gift. If you vote for this creation, it may well become an official Lego set. And really, who doesn't need the challenge of building something besides yet another fort out of those nubby blocks?

Gentlemen of the Road

I'm already a Mumford & Sons fan, but this tour would tug at my heartstrings even if I wasn't. To quote: "Join us this summer for a series of Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers at handpicked locations around the world. Each Stopover is a day-long event, celebrating the music, food and people of the places we're visiting. We'll be bringing a full lineup of some of our favorite bands from around the world, and curating events that combine a music festival and local gathering into one epic party. We plan to start early, and go late, taking the party from the stage to the town." Boy do they know how to speak my language. My August does have room for a Portland or Bristol trip, now that I think about it...

Infertility Words I Wish I Wrote

Since bursting out of the infertility closet over here, so many of you have e-mailed me saying the equivalent of "I don't know how you must feel, but I'm offering support anyway." This is why you guys are a pretty great crew, by the way. But I thought I'd share this piece today for two reasons: first, this is how it feels. And second, this is also the high level of decision-making taking place in our own house/hearts/minds. For a girl who shrugged her way through science classes her entire life, being fluent in the world of follicles and zygotes and implantation is pretty major for me. It will come as less of a surprise that the online "TTC" world the author describes is something I took to far more quickly than that of near-daily ultrasounds. At any rate, for those interested, have at Visible Life.

And that's all from me this week, folks! I'll check back next week full of kiddo birthday cake... Have a happy weekend!

Sparkles

I think I have a new writing project. This is good, because my life has been fairly absent of one for a while now. And this is also not-good, because said writing project clearly isn't filling this space right now. If my grand plan materializes, though, two shall become one (no, I will not improperly use numerals... AP Style or bust!).

At any rate, the biggest grin on my face this week came from my new friends, who just happen to be gold and sparkly.

These shoes have haunted me for ages. I couldn't justify the price when they were in stores, well over a year ago. And of course, as soon as they vanished they were all I thought about. I've searched outlets, I've stalked eBay, I've spent a lot of time thinking about these shoes. All for naught, until the perfect pair finally appeared on eBay, never worn and in my size. You can bet I showed off my new friends to unsuspecting FaceTime acquaintances. 

Sparkly shoes are always a good idea. But sometimes, some weeks, sparkly shoes are a really, really good idea.

Have a sparkly weekend, guys.

xoxo

When cats attack (the dining room)

So before I dive into the ridiculousness that is our current dining room setup, how about a sweet cat and craft photo first?

Okay, Fanny's actually looking rather honey badger-ish in this photo. But the pumpkin! I want to paint every pumpkin I see now. Or gold-dip furniture legs. Or something, as long as I can continue to use this paint.

But we should probably move on to the real story, aka "Why Fanny Might Be Wearing That Bitchy Expression." See, we bought dining chairs. But not the ones I said we were going to buy. Instead, I came across the 2nd-choice-but-originally-more-expensive nailhead chairs not only on clearance, but an additional percentage off clearance, plus I had a coupon. (Making you proud, Mom!) So despite the fact that we originally preferred other chairs, we decided it was meant to be.

So at this point you are probably asking yourself, "Why are the chairs wrapped in plastic? I knew she was concerned about stains, but c'mon." Props to those of you who thought my saran-wrapped dining chairs have anything to do with preventing stains, because that would be logical, however unlikely.

Here's the cold, awkward, weird truth: we are engaged in a battle of the ages over here. Humans Vs. Cats. And I refuse to let the cats win.

The dining chair fabric is every-so-slightly textured, which it turns out is the feline temptation equivalent of me home alone with good cheese and a bottle of wine. Imagine us snuggling on our couch watching tv and all of a sudden, the worst sound new owners of dining chairs can imagine... riiiiiiiiiiiip. Then imagine us leaping off the couch screaming at the cats, trying to gracefully run around our hulk of a coffee table in our tiny living room, and face this sort of expression (old photo, but you get the point). Mood ruined.

Kitten doesn't give a sh*t

Our first step was wishing we could employ a spray bottle, but the distance logistics don't work for immediate punishment sprays, so that's a no-go. Our second step was an anti-kitten liquid upholstery spray meant to deter cats, but it did nothing. Our third step is where we are today, trying to both deter them from the chairs and provide them with a pleasurable scratching experience elsewhere. So the full set looks like this freakshow:

(Head chairs to come... maybe red? Maybe an un-scratch-worthy material?)

And you'll see that we've also gathered every scratching implement in the house and placed them around the table, offering a wealth of scratch-worthy surfaces dusted with fresh catnip.

Neighbors and pedestrians outside our windows are puzzled

The cats don't seem to like the feel of the plastic, so that's good. But I'm pretty sure they're mostly just laughing at us. And how long am I going to put up with this saran wrap, anyway? I'm not sure. It's been a few days, and the cats have left them alone. But I have zero confidence that we've fully turned a corner. De-clawing our beloved furballs is of course out of the question, and we already clip their nails regularly. But seriously... trying to watch high-quality programming like "Revenge" while steeling myself against the sound of claws the whole time is also out of the question. We shall see. And in the meantime...

I don't have buyer's remorse.
I don't have buyer's remorse.
I don't have buyer's remorse.

97 more recitations to go...

Friday I'm in Love

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm really getting into the swing of this Nesting-Without-Traveling-Every-Weekend thing. And even though I'm always tempted to race off to visit the ones I love, it's also pretty nice staying at home and getting back to work around here with the "one" I love, ya know? At any rate, some highlights from the week:

Guilty Pleasure TV

I should probably be embarrassed to admit this, but what the heck: I am loving the most deliciously sleazy new show on television. Is anyone else watching Revenge? It's your classic Old Money v. New Money drama, or Family Dynasty v. Everyone Else drama, or Betrayers v. Betrayed drama. It's the Hamptons and hedge funds and popped collars and yachts. It's filmed in NC (shoutout!). It's so bad it's good. And look... you can catch up with the addictive stage-setting pilot and this week's episode online! Don't say I didn't warn you.

30 Alter Egos of Amy Poehler

 Oh, Amy. One of my very favorite Queens of Comedy. This slideshow makes me heart you even more.

Cup of Joe Guide to NYC

The perennially charming Cup of Joe ran a great series on New York this week, which included her favorite hotels, restaurants, shops, bars, and more. My favorite post was on her 10 favorite shops, which left me just itching for a lazy weekend in New York with no plans, and nothing but time and money on my hands. One day, one day!

Have a wonderful weekend, everybody!

Friday I'm in Love

It feels great to be back in the normal swing of things enough to do a little Friday I'm in Love action. So let's jump right in!

Jonah Hill: Skinny, but Still Funny

  

Jonah Hill's new physique has been freaking me out... until watching this and realizing that, no, he didn't lose his hilarity along with his midsection. I'm excited to see 'Moneyball' this weekend, by the way. Anyone else?

Happiest Space Ever

I love this. As in, if I get sick of my downstairs bathroom decorating project I may just have to start painting happy little squares everywhere.

Girl Needs a Girly Bike

I want this. Hardcore want it. "Neeeeeeeed" it. Those little orange and red stripes?!

That's all from me! I'm excited to do some nesting and have some low-key fun this weekend. Happy Friday, folks!

DC here and there

There is no landscaping plan to report to you. We had too much fun with my parents to move beyond brainstorming. And that's perfectly fine. We strolled the 'hood and ate at one of our local faves. We slept in and made the Clinton St. Baking Company's Spanish Scramble for breakfast. We oohed and aahed at the Library of Congress. We sniffed and smiled at the US Botanical Garden. We walked and walked and walked. We stuffed ourselves silly at Art & Soul, where I ate the most perfect flounder in my personal history of eating lots of flounder. We laughed ourselves silly at Who's Your Baghdaddy? Or How I Started the Iraq War, the second time this month I've been entertained over at the Wooly Mammoth (the first was at F#@king Up Everything, a hipster musical with a heart of gold). We visited our friend Mr. Jefferson (there is always time to visit Mr. Jefferson). And life was good. And is.

The Library of Congress is, you know,
just a little bit jaw-droppingly beautiful inside.

While I catch up on some life and work stuff today, you might go and visit my pal Nole's blog, where I'm guest-blogging all week while she and her husband reunite after the close of Andy's six-month deployment. I'm talking paper over there all week long, as seen through the lens of my nerdy interests and consumer confessions. It'll be a fun week.

First up: DC Paper Love, or "How many letterpressed items featuring DC's map and flag can one woman possibly own?"

It's a fitting first post after this city showed my parents such a lovely time this weekend, don't you think?

Why yes, I do own this letterpress DC flag print made up of DC neighborhood names. Go visit the post to learn more!

Dining room decision time

So we have a dining table. Finally! I love it. We got an incredible deal on this farm-inspired table with simple lines and gorgeous wood grain, and we're both really pleased with it. Even though we painstakingly measured it in the room before our purchase, the size still surprised me when it arrived. We rearranged our dining room to accomodate the hulking piece of wood, and I actually like this new scenario better.

 Yes, I'm the dork who uses paper cutouts to represent future art on the wall. More on that later... 

Wood grain detail

The room probably wants a 6-seater instead of an 8, but I want to have this table for a loooong time, and not have to pull up a card table the first time I have a dinner party. So eight seats it is.

Speaking of seats... as you'll notice in the photo, we don't have real chairs yet. (Big thanks to my mom for the card table and chairs she sent us, though!) Here's the thing: I'm not a fan of the matchy-matchy chairs and table look. We had to wait two months for the table to get here, and I knew I'd need to see it in place before I knew what kind of chair I'd want.

Because of the matchy-matchy thing, I've pretty much ruled out a solid wood full-back chair. This is the leading contender right now:

Sorry for the blurriness - Restoration Hardware doesn't have any pictures of the chair in the color we want, so this was the best I could do. (Is anyone else so over walking into a RH store and falling asleep at all of the gray/beige, by the way? Move on already!) Anyway, we went into the store thinking we'd like the medium tone, but the darkest one actually makes the lighter variations in our table pop, so that's that. The RH chairs are surprisingly well-priced (as in, cheaper than the Pier 1 equivalent), but RH gets on my nerves and the chairs won't ship until September, which further annoys me. The major thing I like about these chairs are that the airy back lets our table breathe, which I think we need since it's a small room with a lot of heavy wood in it. I like the casual sensibility of the bistro chair, which is a different feel to me than the farm table, and I think that interplay is interesting.

I also like chairs of this style, but I have two concerns: first, their solidity compared to the airiness of the bistro chairs, and the nightmare of cleaning stains over time.

West Elm Nailhead Dining Chair

I might as well give a shoutout to my all-time favorite dining chair here, which sadly I have zero chance of owning due to their rather steep pricepoint. But oh! The gorgeousness!

Room & Board Soren Chair

I know, I'm all over the place style-wise.

Since we're doing a little dining room fantasy show anyway, is this a good time to mention that I'm absolutely obsessed with wine barrel chandeliers?

French Country Furniture Wine Barrel Chandelier

This burlap chandelier is very much my style, and I think it'd look fantastic in our dining room. It's definitely a warmer look than the wine barrel chandelier, which is a good thing for that room. The size is also a little more manageable. And in the crucial Real Life category: the price makes me very happy. I think I'm doing wicker pendant lighting in the kitchen, though, and I wonder if that would be texture overload.

Pottery Barn Clifton Burlap Pendant

Of course, I could avoid the problem of burlap/wicker competition by simply following my lust for wooden bead chandeliers. So stunning. But then we're talking high dollar again... sigh.

Regina Andrew Wood Bead Chandelier

I should also mention that all the lighting in our house needs to be redone, which is a huge investment given that everyone we've brought in to take a look thinks that the '70s recessed lighting was done so badly that most of our ceilings will have to be refinished if we make any changes. Lovely! We detest the lighting in here, though, so I know it'd be worth it. 

Tell me: any chair or lighting inspiration in your world these days? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Update: In comments Ainsley brings up something I should have mentioned in my post. I'm only looking to buy six of the above chairs, and I'll find two different chairs for the ends of the table over time - something more solid. Loving your input so far!

There's got to be a better title than "Random"

So, ummm... this week flew by. Oops.

Work is busy. Life is busy. We are kicking tail around the house every night, but not in the barely-functioning stressful way we were before. Instead we're staying calm and making incremental progress. It's good. Next week I'll try to take photos. It's really feeling like a home around here, which for me is all about having things on the wall to smile down at me.

We're off to New York for a wedding tomorrow. I get to pit-stop in the city, then spend Friday night at my pal Amy's glass house in the woods of Westchester, then we head up to Poughkeepsie for the wedding Saturday. I've never been to Poughkeepsie. I would ask for tips on what to see and do, but we won't even be there 24 hours, so I'll focus instead on how to magically create a fantastic updo myself, in a hotel room, with minimal supplies, that will hold throughout the wedding and photograph wonderfully.

Here's are some odds and ends for ya. Not much, but it's all I've got:

File this under: Incredibly Annoying. I've been battling my achilles tendon for five weeks now. I tried nursing it for a while, but it became so painful that I had to stop working out for two weeks. I eased back in slowly, but it's still not ready for high impact activity - even with this sexy brace that T bought me. I've been limiting myself to weight-based workouts and floor moves, but the thing is so tender it'll flare up on me walking home from the Metro or over to the park. Not fun at all... and not exactly helping the beach-season cause. Has anyone ever dealt with achilles tendonitis? The pain is something fierce... just entirely different from any other sort of injury I've ever had.

Oops. I didn't mean to buy all this product. But you know, it happens. Much like having a wedding enabled me to justify all sorts of random not-exactly-wedding-related purchases, attending a wedding suddenly renders shimmery Black Jade eyeliner a life-or-death necessity. There is no logic, only consumer lust. The shadows (Lilium) are from Chanel's summer collection and are truly gorgeous, but a certain someone I know picked up the showstopper from the collection during our spree: the gorgeous yellow nail polish Mimosa, apparently this summer's "it" color, and also apparently life-changing. Nole will have to report back to us on that one.

I'm wearing these patent nude pumps to the wedding, and it occurs to me that we should pause for a moment to celebrate the nude pump. I swear they make legs look a mile longer. Magic shoes, they are. I'll need a little magic to distract from the wreckage of Sunday's mosquito massacre, so let's hope these do the trick. I'm wearing them with the emerald green dress from T's birthday dinner last year. I was going to wear this fun dress, but then discovered that the wedding is more formal than I originally thought. And really, I'm dying to wear emerald again. Paired with green-hued eyeliner, of course.

But to the important thing: this couple who's tying the knot in front of us all. I'm so thrilled for them and the way they make each other happy. I've known the groom through some big highs and lows for us both, and seeing him snag this incredibly amazing woman is probably going to make me cry. But in a ridiculously happy way. Better pack my waterproof mascara.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!