my paying job comes first

hey kids - bad news...I have to take a tiny blog breather for a few days. working weekends and 14 hour days leaves roughly zero energy and time to post. plus, what could I possibly have to write about after being trapped in excel spreadsheets, powerpoints and conference calls all day?! things should go back to normal soon and I promise to be back in full force. Don't abandon me, it will only be a few days. promise. ps. I swear I love my job...my hours and stress level may be brutal but I love what I'm doing so it makes it all worth it.

if i can't afford dvf for myself...

...then i'll let my kindle wear it. i haven't mentioned yet that my awesome father in law gifted me a kindle for christmas this year. it was one of the top things on my wish list so i was so pumped to get it - and then, my just-as-awesome sister in law gifted me a gorgeous diane von furstenberg kindle cover (in garden animal kayley print, $85). love it! as you can tell, the first book i'm reading on the kindle is stieg larsson's the girl who kicked the hornet's nest. i'm about 75% of the way through and i can't wait to know how it ends...

flowers in bloom

remember when i planted this amaryllis bulb from target a few weeks before christmas? look how beautiful it is! i get so sad that they only last one bloom, but the good news is that it lasts for a long time. i love looking at them as i wash dishes from my magical culinary creations (note sarcasm).

i'm not really a waitress...really.

over the weekend katy and i decided to use the bad weather as an excuse to relax our butts off and treat ourselves to a mani/pedi. i chose a "classic" color for my fangers - opi's i'm not really a waitress - one of their best sellers. i never ever wear red nailpolish, and although i wanted to try essie's fishnet stockings, the salon i like only carries opi. i really like it...and i can't wait to try some of the new spring colors in the next few months.

having a ball in the bathroom

one of my favorite stores to peruse here in austin is uncommon objects, a store of "curious goods". we went by while katie and warren were here last-last weekend and i picked up this old skool blue ball jar. i have been going nuts trying to figure out what to do with the towel rack in the master bathroom (aside from hold towels) and i have a good start with the new ball jar and monogrammed decanters from pottery barn (no longer available from what i can see; a wedding shower gift from my lovely friend laura in new york).

i'm currently coveting...neutral shoes

i have nude on the brain. nude shoes, that is, along with a few other neutral shades. these are just a few styles i'm currently coveting. i already have too many shoes i don't wear, though, i so i'm holding out to see if i'm still coveting one (or all) of them after the next few weeks. plus, i feel like my taste changes so much between the time when spring styles first come out and the time when the weather is warm enough to actually wear them. right?!

below: vince camuto mimis sandal, $129. would be good with almost any dress or skirt.

below: guess lopran heels, $125. would be perfection with wide leg jeans and a tucked-in flowy floral top.

below: nine west chartre, $79. you can't tell in the picture, but the fabric is canvas tipped with leather. cute!

below: vince camuto alexia ankle boot, $125. the picture doesn't do these shoes justice. have had them on the brain since before christmas and i'm waiting patiently for them to go on sale. come on already!

my golden globes picks

i couldn't resist posting about my favorite golden globes looks. i have to say that in general, i didn't like so many of the looks (i'm talking to you, scarjo) and i couldn't believe how many ladies were rocking the same hairdo (e.g., eva longoria, claire danes) but there were some gorgeous ladies and gowns on the red carpet. i couldn't narrow it down any further than this!! here are my favorites.

below: anne hathaway in giorgio armani prive. that back!!! and perfection on the hair. (image from justjared)

below: mila kounis in vera wang (this chick is hot...what was she doing with kevin from home alone in the first place?) (image from justjared)

below: eva longoria in zac posen. love the train.

below: jennifer lawrence in louis vuitton. gorge! (image from justjared)

below: emma stone in calvin klein. i am digging the simplicity of it (although her hair could be a shade or two brighter rather than whiter)

below: january jones in versace (obviously i choose her! she's my fave...)

help me find mid-priced denim

i have a problem.

a big one.

i have been searching high and low for mid-priced jeans that aren't too skinny and aren't too wide. like straight-up stovepipe. not hugging my calf nor too flared or bootleg. not too cheap but not too expensive. and i can't find them.

i started with gap, trying on every style in every size and color. always skinny, $69.50 / real straight $69.50

next i went to the matchsticks from j.crew ($98), but i'm not sold. they're way too long (even the short sizes) and i hate hemming jeans because they never look the same.

then i went to anthropologie (i have a gift card, woot!) and tried on every single pair they had in store. every. single. pair. again, either too skinny or too wide. ag colette bootcut, $168 / ag stevie, $168 / joe's muse, $158



and now i'm waiting for these to arrive from ann taylor although i think they'll be too skinny. (i think the outfit is so cute, btw) - $88 plus 40% coupon EXTRA40

these *might* be good, but it's so hard to tell from the shoddy fitting on the model (really, loft, really?!), $59.50 plus 40% with code EXTRA.

if you were me, where would you turn next? i really don't want to pay more than $100 but i just might have to...and is it a pipe dream? are there no straight leg jeans for less than a benjamin out there anymore?

oooooooooooooor maybe i'm not cut out for straight stovepipe jeans. maybe it's all in my head. just maybe.

ps. can't wait for my cousin katy to arrive!!! she gets in tonight and we have so much to catch up on. can't wait can't wait.

knitted mug koozie

it's freakin' freezing here (it was in the 20s when i woke up yesterday!) so this is calling my name. do any of you wonderful readers of mine like to knit? dying for one of these but i'm THE WURST when it comes to knitting needles and yarn. wouldn't it be the perfect accessory during your morning cup of tea?

get the knitting pattern (and photo credit) here.

recipes: chicken enchilades verdes

my latest recipe escapade was a batch of homemade chicken enchilades verdes. i combined a couple of recipes to create my ultimate in green chile goodness. any excuse to eat beans and my mexican rice is my idea of a dream come true.

verde sauce:

• 1 lb tomatillos (about 15), husked and cut into quarters
• 1 1/4 cup chicken broth
• a pinch of salt
• 1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped

combine all ingredients, bring to a boil and reduce heat, letting the combo simmer for about 15 minutes (or until the tomatillos are soft). use an immersion blender (or a food processer or real blender, whatever) to puree the mixture. bring it back to a simmer for just a few minutes to let it reduce a little bit more.

filling:

• 4 shredded chicken breasts (shred after boiling in water for 20 minutes with half of a white onion and two cloves of garlic)
• 1/2 up queso fresco
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
  
• 1/3 cup fresh minced cilantro
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• salt and pepper
  

combine all ingredients and fill tortillas (i prefer flour), rolling and placing in baking dish side-by-side. make sure you'd spread some of the salsa verde in the bottom of the baking dish first. sprinkle with more cheese and top with plenty of salsa verde. cook for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and serve after the salsa verde starts to bubble and the tortillas get a tiny bit brown.

rain, rain, go away...but fill up my barrels first

i told nick a few weeks ago that the backyard is officially his domain. i planted a bunch of stuff over the summer that i promptly started to neglect so decided to throw my hands in the air and let nick do his thing. he has since done some awesome things such as rip out a half-dead tree and replace it with a baby peach tree, put in a fig tree, grapes, blueberries, a few flowering plants and a tangerine tree.

his latest escapade is rain barrels, which came in over the weekend...just in time for the rain on saturday night. a tiny bit of rain turned into two completely full barrels, which will be enough to keep the plants watered for quite some time. he's so green and it'll save us plenty of cash in water bills. i heart him.

ps. happy 1.11.11!

weekending it up

me and nick at salt lick mid-bbq coma

nick and i had an absolutely fantastic weekend with my bff in the entire world and her husband. katie and warren came for a visit from their new home of LA and we did our best to show them the highlights of austin. you'd think we'd be pros by now, but i still get worried we won't be able to show how awesome austin is with just one short weekend. we spent friday night on the east side (takoba, the good knight, cheer up charlie's), saturday at salt lick, mandola...ahem...duchman winery and dinner at uchi (best hot rock evvvveerrrr), and yesterday was more relaxing with breakfast/lunch at tacodeli and a freezing/wet walk around s. congress and mt. bonnell.

i miss katie tremendously and can't wait to plan a trip out to LA to see her new home. hearts!!!

the guest room vision: almost done

it's been a few months since we moved in and the guest room is almost done. remember when i had visions of the viceroy santa monica dancing in my head? well, i'm on my way there. i'm still looking for a new bedframe, i want to spruce up the white curtains with something (although i'm not sure what), and there are a few details here and there that i'd like to refine. but overall, i'm digging it. who wants to come visit and spend a few nights in that cozy bed? eh? bueller?

before: the blank slate

after: on my way to the viceroy (kinda)

DIY: i love me some chevrons

remember when i posted about how much i love chevron curtains? well, since i haven't figured out how/if i'm going to create them for the guestroom i decided to whip out the sewing machine and add some chevron flair in a smaller way. i bought this sewing machine about a month ago to have for my mom's visits to austin (she's a master and loooooooves when i give her hemming, curtain trimming and other jobs when she comes to visit...note sarcasm) and decided it was about time i figure out how to use it.

i spent practically an entire day teaching myself how to thread the dang thing, then how to sew a straight line, then muddled my way through actual creation.

and i must say, i'm pretty dang proud of myself! and i know my mom's proud, too.

i love you, chevrons.

ps. i got the fabric here.

DIY: giving an old chair new life

i searched craigslist for about a month looking for an old armchair. i knew i wanted something for the guest room but couldn't find anything off the shelf that i really loved (or wanted to spend that much money on...armchairs are expensive!) so turned to craiglist for something previously loved. i found this guy for $40 from a woman who inherited it from her grandpa. it was no masterpiece but i knew it was a diamond in the rough. i spent a few days sanding, cleaning, scraping, gluing, removing rogue nails, etc...


i was mid-paint when i started wondering if i should paint it yellow to be a bright statement in the white/yellow/purple guest room...but decided to keep it white and repaint it later if i still wanted to.

and voila! the finished piece. there are a few more details, too, which i'll share later this week.