wedding dress

Over all I would say the blah, blah, blahs continued with the dress choices. Thankfully more color was thrown in, here are the clear winners of the night...

Mila for taking a risk that paid off beautifully.

Here's to hoping everyone else brings their A game to the Oscars...

My little sister's wedding plans are coming along nicely. It looks like this J.Crew Factory sweater will be part of the bridesmaids outfits (paired with a yellow skirt with a cream band around the bottom). I think I want to pair it with a gold or nude toned shoe.

Have you seen the "visited states" map? It colors in the states you have been to, you can also do Canadian provinces and Mexican states. Here is my map. I have visited/driven through 41 states, thanks in great part to my Dad's job. What is your favorite state you have visited? Mine might be North Carolina.

Other fun things today include the launch of Matchbook, an online magazine. They have two pages of trivial facts on Princess Margaret (Queen Elizabeth's sister) like:
"for reasons unknown to the press, the young Margaret's disco-going set of friends called her 'Yvonne'."
The magazine also has some great compilations of fashion staples and new books to check out amongst other things!

And one more thing, 13 weird things that happen at Sundance Film Festival. The Shine has had some great articles lately, this one is no exception.

Many of the older homes in the area I grew up in have lion statues that flank the entry ways to their porch. I love the idea of lions outside the home, they add such an interesting element to the exterior. Here are some pictures from around the web of lion statues.



The houses in my neighborhood would always decorate their lions for the holidays. Wreaths in December and pumpkins under the raised paws in October.








While we are on the topic of statues, here is one of my parents neighbors newest. It kind of creeps me out...

P.S. Travel Tuesday is coming back next week with a vengeance, be very excited!
via jwinfred, photo-steve, becky e, authalic, irwin-scott, biltmore, bakati

Everyone in my office has been talking about Greek yogurt, apparently it is really good for (0 grams of fat, 140 calories and 14 grams of protein). When I was home for the holiday my parents had bought a case of Chobani Greek yogurt, further asserting that this might be a band wagon to jump on. I finally decided to try it out this week. I have had one for breakfast every morning this week and I have really enjoyed them so far. Chobani, I am sold. Hopefully they sell you at Costco.

via she knows
We are having friends over for the Super Bowl. This year I decided to do a pot luck and I think one of my contributions will be meat balls. This is my favorite tried and true meat ball recipe, I kind of like the idea I saw on She Knows, of substituting ground turkey for a healthier version.

Here are some random bits of color I have found over the web...

I love this statement necklace, I think it definitely qualifies as a splash of color.

The only thing I really like in this room is the green island.

This yellow dresser is gorgeous, I think my little sister would love something like that.

Last but not least, the blue wall...

via Etsy and House Beautiful

I love these yellow, white and green flowers. My little sister is using this color combination for her wedding so I have been pouring over different bouquets for inspiration.

I love this illustration by Ruth Sanderson. I did a guest post about her books on my big sister's blog A Window to the World.

I love the pop of yellow in this blue room.

And I love this old post on My Happy Little Life on the cycles of infertility. I can totally relate. I am all done with my current Doctor and researching and preparing to visit other doctor's around the US. Hopefully I can find one I feel more comfortable with. I have also been reading books and articles on infertility, they have me pondering a diet change to a more wholesome diet. By wholesome I mean more whole grains, fruits and veggies and less meat. I want to try to switch to organic meat at least, I figure I already have problems with the hormones in my body and the hormones they have me give my body, do I really need the hormones from my meat? I think this will take some more research. Anyway, over the next year I am going to see a couple different doctors and clinics to find one that I feel good about before we start IVF.

photos via house beautiful, ruth sanderson, christine olson photography

If I am being honest, I actually packed all my Valentine's decor this week. I am trying to de-clutter the house and get it ready for showings. A little sad but that's reality. However, my sister has kids and they love Valentine's Day, and I like to send Valentine's every four years or so...

I saw this heart montage and thought of my sister, I think her kids would love it.

This ribbon punched valentine looks completely reasonable as far as effort and it is darling to boot.

I love the heart garland

This valentine project would be a serious undertaking, but how cool is it? A secret message valentine? What kid (or possibly adult) wouldn't love to get this in the mail.

Also, thanks to Tip Junkie for featuring one of my older valentine posts (I am number 7)!

For the last couple of years I have been dying to get a good house plant. I have tried cacti and other miscellaneous house plants with little success. Partially because my cats tend to chew the plants and partially because I have no east or west windows to get good light. Regardless of this fact I want to try again because I love plants and because I have read that they warm a room up. That should help with staging a house, right? Enjoy some house plant inspiration.

This kumquat tree is my favorite of the bunch.











via house beautiful, desire to inspire, decorology

I finally found it! My sister was given one of these years ago, it is similar to a pumice stone but it is sand paper that you use to help cracked heals. It is the best. My feet have been dying this winter so I started searching amazon and found one. My feet can't wait for it to arrive, it really is the best for cracked heels.