the big 4-0

following up on yesterday's post, something very special is celebrating its fortieth birthday today...



it's hard to believe that sesame street has been in existence this long and is still going strong with no signs of stopping. (check out this article about the importance of this pbs juggernaut). it's nothing short of amazing that a program that enthralled me as a little girl is now providing entertainment to **my** little girl. i don't want alexandra to be hooked on television (i limit our daily sesame street intake), but i see the value in sesame street. becoming reacquainted with the sesame street crew over the past few months and watching elmo and gang through my daughter's eyes has been a joy. her favorite character is - of course - elmo (however, she has also started saying "coo coo" anytime cookie monster comes on the scene). that's why i find it so interesting to see that elmo is voiced by this guy:


how does such a high-pitched little voice come from such a big guy?! you can read more about kevin clash, aka the voice of elmo, here.

i also love that the first lady helped celebrate the big birthday:



happy fortieth sesame street, here's to forty more!

sunny days

sunny days


sweeping the clouds away


on my way to where the air is sweet


can you tell me how to get

how to get to sesame street?


come and play


everything's a-okay


family neighbors friends


that's where we meet


can you tell me how to get

how to get to sesame street?

too much of a good thing

let me begin this post by issuing a warning to the three men that read this blog regularly (which would be my husband, my dad and my father-in-law). yes, guys, i am talking to you. i am about to delve into a subject that is not for the faint of heart. i would not recommend reading further, you might blush. consider yourself forewarned.

(okay, i totally know you're still reading, don't say i didn't warn you...)

i was driving home from work the other day when elmo (who is on constant rotation in my vehicle since my little girl discovered him) was rudely interrupted by the email alert on my crackjack (also known as blackjack - a wannabe blackberry, aka crackberry). upon reaching a red light (i seem to be much more cautious with the little one in the backseat), i scrolled through my messages only to see that it was some spam email from victoria's secret, announcing the arrival of a new product. typically, i would delete this garbage, but the subject line was intriguing. it read, and i quote:

"new! miraculous push-up adds 2 cup sizes...hello bombshell!"

seriously??? **two** whole cup sizes?? who on earth needs this? i'm all about keeping the girls supported, but i don't need them up to my chin, for crying out loud.


(the particular vicky's secret product in question)

maybe it's just me, but i've never understood all the fuss about "the girls". (this is what i am going to refer to them as in this post - i never liked the word "breasts" and don't get me started on the "t" word, we're not cows for crying out loud). they are put there for one purpose and one purpose only, which became painfully clear to me a couple of days after my daughter was born when my "girls" went from a somewhat enlarged size (thanks to the pregnancy) to porn star proportions. (i am happy to report that they didn't remain this way - unfortunately, they deflated that much more after i quit breastfeeding). yet despite that one purpose, they have gained mass appeal and are sought after by many, both men and women. i mean, case in point:


pamela anderson, the original baywatch girl, who can't seem to make up her mind as to whether she wants a regular-sized chest (and by regular, i still mean larger than 90% of the female population) or "you can see those puppies from the moon!" (obviously the latter in this picture)


anna nicole smith - i think this picture is from the guess modeling era, you know, pre-marriage to really old guy, pre-reality show, pre-overdose.

and the original:


miss dolly parton. how hers have not been deemed a wonder of the world yet beats me - you just don't find those in nature. trust me, though, i would never hate on miss parton. you can't be a southern girl and not love every ounce of this woman.

bottom line, victoria secret - thanks, but no thanks. i'll stick with the size i am, where shirts fit me properly and i can see my feet - no 2 cup enhancement. if i need a place to rest my head, it will be on my pillow, not on my cleavage, thankyouverymuch.

all the pretty horses

the month of october was a total whirlwind...first we were in hilton head for the wedding of our friends terry and katie (pics to follow in another post). next was a fundraiser for vivianne, the daughter of some dear friends of mine. vivianne is a very brave little girl who has fought a long, hard battle against leukemia. you can read more about her story here.

i spent the third saturday in october at keeneland, celebrating the engagement of my best friend christa and her sweet fiancee brian. christa and i met when i was a freshman and she was a sophomore at uk - we lived down the hall from one another in the dorm, were in the same rush group, and hit it off instantly. we became fabulous friends and have remained that way for some 13 years. have you ever had one of those friendships where you might not see or get to speak with your friend for awhile, but when you meet up again you fall right into sync as if you never skipped a beat? one of those friends who you share inside jokes and silly stories with that no one else might understand, but causes the two of you to fall into fits of laughter? well, christa is that friend for me. i am so incredibly honored that she asked me to serve as the maid of honor in their wedding in february and cannot wait for their big day.

our group had a wonderful time at keeneland (even though i lost every single race!). we tailgated and then watched several races - it's been said a thousand times on this blog, but if you've never been to keeneland, you don't know what you're missing. it is a must if you ever get to kentucky.

some pics from the day....

and they're off!


watching our horses on the jumbo-tron as they race on the far side of the track (mine was probably last)


the sun shining across the beautiful in-field


the beautiful bethrothed - christa and brian



brian goofing off with christa's belt:


christa, i know you're reading this - i'm so thrilled for you and brian, we can't wait to help you celebrate your big day!

halloween hijinks

happy belated halloween! i hope you all had a wonderful holiday, with more treats than tricks. i also hope that you don't have as much leftover candy as we do - even as i sit here in the office on our second floor, i can hear the mini-snickers bars singing my name from the kitchen downstairs. i'd take the candy to work, but it will be no less tempting there, either.

we had a great time here - alexandra was only 6 months old last year (dressed her up as a cute dalmatian puppy, as you can see here) so needless to say she was a lot more into it this year and that was fun to watch. we only hit up our immediate next door neighbors and the folks across the street, though i imagine next year she will be tearing from house to house.

the festivities started with a halloween party for alexandra's class at daycare. all of the parents were asked to contribute something for the party. unfortunately, by the time i saw the sign-up list, juice and cookies were gone, leaving only party favors. seriously, what do you get for a half dozen 1 1/2 year-olds? a couple of nights before the party, i hit up target, and wouldn't you know that my dear target wouldn't let me down:



the kids went trick or treating around the school on friday morning. alexandra wore her costume - including the headpiece (pictures to follow) - for about 45 minutes. in retrospect, it was probably a mistake to let her wear it that long because i think she exhausted her patience for wearing it on any subsequent occasions (like on halloween night). the kids then had a little "party" complete with juice and orange snacks like cheese curls and cookies. here's alexandra and her friends enjoying their treats:




last night we got alexandra ready to wear her little pig outfit once more. i didn't think it was possible for my child to be any cuter, but obviously i had never seen my child dressed up as a little pig (if only i had been able to get her to say oink!).



unfortunately, there was no way she would tolerate that headpiece - the picture below is one of the few pictures we got and the expression on her face says it all!


i packed away the headpiece and made our way outside, where she thoroughly enjoyed playing in the neighbor's yard and holding the plastic skull that was part of their halloween decorations.





we had a good volume of trick-or-treaters at our house, including this band of action book super heroes.


all in all, we had a perfect evening spent with our little piggy - she played hard and was oh-so-ready to have her piggy costume removed and to snuggle in bed for the night.

sporting a new look

don't adjust your computer screen, this is still southern comfort, just newly improved after a highly-needed facelift! the beautiful design was created by the very talented beth at scoop designs - if you're looking for a new blog design, i would highly recommend beth. she is creative, thoughtful and very quick to respond to requests. you can find her here!

moroccan mystery

one gripe i have about louisville is the shortage of antique malls that carry great vintage finds, and the even bigger shortage of free time i have to frequent the good ones that do exist. a month or so ago, i took off an hour early from work (in my defense, it was a friday and most law offices are ghost towns once it hits 3pm on a friday) and hit up an antique mall on the way home called the "crazy daisy" (yes, i know, it's an unfortunate name). while there, i happened to stumble upon this beauty, a reproduction moroccan side table:


i mean, check out the legs!



as it was only $40 and i saw some potential, i immediately snatched it up. it's a diamond in the rough, but i thought this was an absolute steal compared to some of the other moroccan side tables i've seen on the web:


moroccan key table at house eclectic, $329


moroccan table at garnet hill, currently sold out


aluminum moroccan side table at bliss living, $290

the question then becomes...what on earth do i do to it to jazz it up? i'm thinking paint, but i'm unsure of color - stick with a neutral like chocolate brown, or jazz it up with a muted apple green (which is a predominant color in my house). what about nailhead trim around the edges? and any recommendations on how i can find the 25th hour in the day to complete this project?!

no swine flu jokes, please...

i thought this costume was so cute, i swear i didn't even think about the inevitable swine flu jokes when i ordered it for alexandra to wear for halloween.


it has been suggested more than once that ryan and i wear surgical masks when we take alexandra around our neighborhood halloween night!

an apple a day...

my little girl loves apples...applesauce, apple chunks, and most of all, she loves saying the word apple. a lot. every night before she goes to bed, we read "the very hungry caterpillar". you would think one would get tired reading the same book over and over, but it really is a cute little tale (and it is so precious that alexandra starts clapping at the end when the caterpillar morphs into a butterfly!). any way, there is a point in the story where the caterpillar (who apparently is ravenous) eats a ton of food, including apples. when we get to that point in the book, i pause, point to the fruit, and she immediately says "apple!" with this huge grin on her face. i. love. it.

we were flipping through pictures on the computer today, and alexandra's face lit up when she saw these recent pics of her in her apple onesie. she just kept saying the word over and over, so we had applesauce tonight as a treat.

now if i could just get her to say pumpkin as clearly as apple - right now it is coming out as "punkaba" (who am i kidding, it's so stinking cute i don't want her to say it right!).

chocolate goodness

i'm making these tonight for our tailgating at keeneland tomorrow. sweet apples? check. gooey caramel? check. rich chocolate brownies? check, check!


really, how can you go wrong with something named roasted apples n' cream caramel topped brownies? i'm becoming ravenous just typing that! oh, and if you haven't checked out the picky palate, you should definitely do so - super cute blog, great pictures, and terrific sounding recipes!

back in the saddle again

wow...october 12th and this is my first post for the month of october. how very sad and pathetic of me! i could attribute it to the gobs of things going on in our lives (like just getting back from lovely hilton head island in south carolina for the wedding of some friends, which should be some good fodder for a blog post later in the week). but really, sometimes i am just at a loss for what to type about here. i'm a busy working professional/devoted mom and quite frankly, that doesn't always leave much - if any - time to devote to the blog. be patient - i'm trying to improve upon this, one post at a time.

when all else fails, i know who i can always post about with a smile on my face ... my sweet alexandra! ya'll, she is growing like a weed and is doing so many new things, i can hardly believe it. sweet girl is 17 months old now, and here's just a few of the things she can do:
** almost run **
** pucker up and give a kiss **
** say "moo" when asked what sound a cow makes, as well as "baaa" for sheep **
** she also has about 25 words she uses steadily, and that number is constantly climbing **
** point out her hair, ears, eyes, mouth, belly, toes and nose (that last one is a fan favorite, she usually ends up sticking her finger up her nose instead of just pointing at it!) **



as a special treat, here's a video of alexandra in her special chair (from the land of nod, just love it!) pointing out her body parts. please forgive the fact that the video is sideways - yours truly just couldn't make the computer understand that the video needed to be rotated clockwise! just turn that head to the side and enjoy!

mixing sippy cups with stilettos?

i saw this picture in the most recent us weekly and found myself thinking...what the hell?!?! she is only 3 years old, for crying out loud. wtf??

proud big sista

awhile back, you will recall that i created this post about my younger sister rachel and the case she worked on that was going to be profiled on the cbs early show. unfortunately, the original segment was bumped because of the press coverage of the death of senator ted kennedy. well, the folks at cbs finally got around to airing rachel's segment this morning, and here's the video! *** i'm so, so, so proud!!***


Watch CBS Videos Online

four years

has it really been four years?


it really seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating with our dearest friends and family under the dark kentucky sky at that beautiful vineyard. those in attendance still approach me and tell me their favorite memories of that celebration - all i can do is smile in response and nod my head in agreement.

we've seen a lot in those four years...
...3 different homes
...in 2 different cities
...36 major holidays
...one rambunctious puppy that grew into one beautiful, crazy, but loving dog
...sickness as well as health
...renovations and remodeling, turning houses into homes
...learning that we would no longer be a family of 2, but of 3
...a surprisingly easy pregnancy
...a miraculous birth of a blue-eyed bundle of love, joy and beauty
...3-4 months of sleepless nights and days as that precious bundle battled colic
...the unfathomable joys of parenthood, falling more in love with our little girl with the passing of each new day.

happy 4th anniversary, ryan (well, one day late - better late than never!). i love you so very much. thank you for my beautiful lilies - you know my favorite, they brighten my office.


though i'm sure you didn't realize it, flowers are the traditional 4th anniversary gift. (i'm going to give you credit for that one).

sit back and take a load off

so sorry for the lack of posts - between prepping for a trial in federal court in a few weeks and the typical stress of being a working career woman/mommy to a wonderful on-the-move toddler, there has been little time to breathe, much less blog! (oh, and i **still** have not found a fabulous dress to wear to an october wedding on the beach - help, help, help!).

i'm feeling under the weather - at first i thought it was the seasonal allergies that hit many of us kentuckians so hard, but now i'm not so sure....flushed face? chills? achiness all over? yeah, i don't think those are side effects of exposure to ragweed and pollen, either.

i did, however, want to post and get your feedback on what i think is a cute foot stool from jcpenney, of all places.


it's from cindy crawford's collection (who knew modeling was sufficient experience to design a home line?), and i do think it's kind of cute - with a different fabric for the top, of course. maybe a punchy apple green. thoughts? be honest - i think two of them in our living room would be cute and at that price it's a pretty good deal, but only if they border more on cute than on tacky!

an age old question...

what ever will i wear?

yeah, i know, not exactly a pressing question like "why are we here?", but it's a good question, nonetheless, and i'm sure women have been asking themselves this for centuries. and it is one i am struggling with now.

here's my fashion dilemma for which i need a complete intervention, hopefully from those of you more fashionable people who read this blog:

so...some friends of ours are getting married next month in hilton head and i am at a total loss as to what to wear. for starters, i have no idea what the weather will be like in south carolina in early october - i'm guessing that it will be in the 70s (hopefully?). so, do you wear a summery dress (with a wrap for the evening chill), even though it is technically fall? for instance, i found the beautiful dress below from jcrew that is on sale and my size is in stock:


however (and that's a big however), it's a linen blend which is obviously a summer material. i don't think i can get away from it, and if i have my doubts, the dress is not returnable.

what a fashion conundrum...i so wish i had trinny and susannah here to help me with this all-important (not really, though that's what it sounds like in this post!) decision.


have you checked out their new show making over america, on tlc? they are so fun and have such a "cheeky" sense of humor. love it!

so, i am open to suggestions! what do you think the weather should be like? should i say the hell with it and wear a cute summer dress with a wrap? should i get the jcrew beautie above or try something else? have you seen any super cute (and relatively reasonably priced) options out there lately? please help, i need an intervention!

early show update

thanks for all of the sweet comments - we are very proud! unfortunately, rachel's segment got bumped at the last minute (we were told it was due to coverage of ted kennedy's death). her segment will be briefly continued to another date. once we get it, i'll be sure to post it here so everyone can tune in!

be sure to watch tomorrow's cbs early show!

meet my little (by 18 months) sister, dr. rachel clark (she's the second from the left):


rachel is an incredible woman - gorgeous, funny, charming and incredibly smart (she's a third year ob/gyn resident at harvard, working at mass general and brigham and womens hospitals). she's an incredible sister, daughter, aunt and friend.

a couple of years ago, rachel had a fascinating case that drew quite a bit of press. the ny times ran an article about rachel and the case that you can read here. apparently cbs caught wind of this and interviewed rachel for a segment that is going to air on the cbs early show tomorrow morning - be sure to tune in! rachel swears up and down that she wore a kentucky wildcats t-shirt for the interview - i truly wouldn't put it past her, she loves to show her pride for the bluegrass. go cats!

you can also catch rachel on tv next year when abc airs a multi-week documentary about the physicians at brigham and womens hospital in boston. do you remember a show that aired a year or so ago called hopkins that was billed as "the real grey's anatomy"? (i think it actually aired in the time slot immediately following grey's). well abc decided to do another documentary in boston, and rachel was one of a handful of physicians that they selected to follow for several months. they even followed her to ky and to my daughter's 1st birthday party in may (not sure if that footage will make it or not, i can't imagine the country would be too interested in a one year-old's birthday party!). you can read a little bit more about the show here.

words cannot even convey how immensely proud we are of her. be sure to set your dvr to record the early show and check her out!

best in show

as i was flipping through the courier-journal this morning at work, i couldn't help but notice this photograph on the cover of the features section:


doesn't that look fabulous?? it's called a neapolitan party cake (obviously inspired by the ice cream) and it just won best cake at the kentucky state fair. my mouth is watering just looking at this thing. if you would like the recipe, you can find it here. be forewarned, this cake has a slew of ingredients and multiple steps, but if it tastes half as good as it looks, i'm sure it's worth all the work!

bourbon neat

you already know my undying love and devotion to southern living ... it's featured homes, its recipes, its profiles of southern cities ... love, love, love. i tore into this month's copy over the weekend and ended up dog-earing dozens of pages that bore interesting stories about places i'd like to visit, home ideas to store away in my design file, and recipes i'd like to try out if the day ever comes again that i have time to cook!


this month's southern living contained a feature on kentucky's bourbon trail - a beautiful stretch that runs between louisville and lexington that includes some of the world's best known bourbon distilleries, such as wild turkey, maker's mark, buffalo trace, jim beam, woodford reserve, heaven hill and four roses. let me preface this by saying that i am not a bourbon fan and never drink the stuff(which could be considered a taboo statement in this part of the world). with that being said, i appreciate the drink for what it is - a staple of the state that is as symbolic of kentucky as thoroughbred horses and rolling hillside. a drink that you will find at any good derby party or in many a silo cup (usually combined with coke) at any given tailgate at commonwealth stadium during uk's football season. it is an institution.





my favorite part of the article had to be the beautiful photographs of spots on the bourbon trail. in describing the countryside, the author of the article couldn't have stated it any better ... "you'll pass through swaths of land kissed by God..." isn't that the truth!

cold turkey

everyone's got their quick fix. for some, it's nicotine - for others, it may be shopping. personally? i don't smoke or gamble, and my drinking and shopping (for myself anyway) seem to be somewhat limited since alexandra was born. yep, i've led a pretty clean existence, free from addiction...except for diet coke.

my introduction into the world of diet soda came compliments of my mom, circa early 1980's, in the form of a glass bottle with pretty pink packaging. do not try to tell me you don't remember tab!! i've never been into coffee, tea, or any other caffeinated energy drinks, but diet coke has been a vice of mine for a very long time. i would drink it at all times of the day, even at breakfast (ryan has told me before that he has been awakened by the sound of a pop top being opened). i could easily drink 3 or so a day - i don't even want to think of how many i've consumed in a lifetime, but i think it's safe to say that it's a miracle my blood doesn't run brown with the artificially colored sweetness of diet coke.

i'm not quite sure what came over me recently - whether the quest for a cleaner lifestyle, or possibly in an effort to lose a few extra pounds - but i quit diet coke yesterday, cold turkey. after i unloaded the groceries from the suv following the weekly trip to kroger, ryan looked at me and asked where my diet cokes were. when i responded that i was quitting, ryan looked at me in disbelief, and then noted that nobody could cut that habit cold turkey and that i would need to wean myself off of it. there it was - the challenge had been issued, and stubborn arse that i am, i decided right then and there that i'd prove this sentiment wrong and kick the ugly diet coke habit to the curb.

well....that was 24 long hours ago. 24 hours that included a monday morning, a teething toddler and a sick husband. not quite sure i picked a good week to quit caffeine! by 2pm this afternoon, my head was pounding and i quickly realized this was from caffeine withdrawal. part of me wanted to make a mad dash to the vending machines on the 3rd floor and down a 20 ouncer in five minutes flat, but it hit me like a ton of bricks that i don't want to consume anything that can make me feel that way.

so, diet coke, i bid you a fond adieu. we've had a good run - you've gotten me through hot summer days. your fountain drinks at mcd's got me through many a hangover in college, and helped me get through the late night hours of studying for law school finals and then the bar exam. you've been a trusty sidekick over the years but i'm moving on to greener and non-caffeinated pastures. please don't take this personally - it's not you, it's me.

hoping to keep this up - one tiring day at a time!

it's elmo's world, we're just living in it

i'm sure you have heard of the studies over the years that discuss how the golden arches of mcd's are recognized at a very young age...i think there should be a similar study done on elmo. elmo has only recently become quite the hit for my little 15 month-old, who for the past week has walked around the house saying "emo". seriously, we pop in a dvd and that little voice singing "la la la la, la la la la, elmo's world...." fills the room and alexandra stops dead in her tracks and stares slack-jawed at the tv. she will turn around every once and awhile to smile at us and say "emo!" with such delight in her voice it warms your heart. he actually is kind of cute with his little jokes ... but i'm giving it only about one more week until ryan and i go a little crazy just by hearing the theme song to elmo's world.

oh tim gunn, my gbff, how i have missed you!

one episode in, and i am already hooked!


this appears to be a very talented - and young (for the most part) - cast. i was pleasantly surprised to see several contestants from the south...i don't think they have had many in the past. i loved watching the excitement the designers felt just to be on the show and to watch their finished creations being showcased on the runway. they have such a passion for their art, and you find yourself getting pulled in and joining in their excitement! i was a little worried for johnny - the former crystal meth addict - you could really see him starting to melt as the stress set in. i felt for him and was happy to see him pull through (though i wasn't as crazy about the cut of his dress as the judges). speaking of the judges - seriously? lindsay lohan? i don't get it. i wondered if she secretly enjoyed sending home ari, who is a dead ringer for lohan's on-again, off-again girlfriend, samantha ronson.


who is your initial favorite and least favorite? i find myself somewhat drawn to ramon-lawrence, the former med school student who decided to follow his passion for design. i'm so not liking nicolas - from the moment he showed up on screen, i immediately had a strong distaste for his attitude!

needless to say, i'm already hooked! what are your thoughts on the cast and their red carpet designs??

i want, i need, i have to have

ever since marianne at haven and home posted pictures of this gorgeous pillow, i've been searching the internet to see if i can find (a) giraffe print pillows and (2) brown and green grosgrain ribbon to recreate this look.



(according to marianne's blog, this pillow was featured on the cover of a book by john loecke entitled "grosgrain style".

unfortunately, i'm not having any luck finding a giraffe print pillow that seems to be of decent quality and is not ridiculously expensive - no luck on a similar ribbon, either.

in my researching, i came upon this pillow (on sale at crate and barrel - sorry for the lack of image, cb is not cooperating) and this giraffe print grosgrain ribbon (on ebay).


while it's not the same, do you think these two would work together to create a look similar to the pillows above that i love? also, anyone seen a great looking and reasonably priced brown giraffe print pillow on the web?

coming attractions

following up on my last post ... one of my favorite parts of going to a movie is to catch the upcoming releases (unfortunately, we missed the first 5 minutes of the hangover due to traffic so we missed the previews). however, i sometimes check out first showing to see if there is anything that looks interesting. here's a few i discovered, enjoy!

(1) love happens, release date sept. 18 (romantic dramedy starring jennifer aniston and aaron eckhart):



(2) couples retreat, release date: oct. 9th. the cast is incredible - Kristen Bell, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Kristin Davis, Vince Vaughn and Malin Akerman - how could you go wrong?



(3) nine, release date nov. 25 (thanksgiving). this is another rob marshall remake of a musical - it might just be a re-hash of chicago from a few years ago, but the cast is interesting.



(4) the lovely bones, release date: dec. 11. i have been psyched for this ever since i heard the book was being made into a movie. i have read this alice sebold novel at least a couple of times, and it is gripping stuff. with peter jackson directing, i'm sure this will be a winnner.



(5) the princess and the frog, release date: dec. 11. so i am probably a little too old for animated features, but i love that disney is making a return to hand animation - no matter how old you are, everyone must have a little love for the little mermaid, aladdin, beauty and the beast, and the lion king. this looks like a sweet adaptation of an old fairytale.



(6) it's complicated, release date: dec. 25. meryl streep, need i say more? the woman can do no wrong.

the hangover

we don't get out all that often to the movies - in fact, i couldn't tell you the last time we even watched a movie from the comfort of our own home! with that being said, when i do get out to the movies, i do not like to be disappointed.


i ventured out with a few girlfriends recently for a much needed gno (girls night out for those of you not in the know) and we surprisingly decided to watch the hangover. truth be told, i personally wanted to see julie & julia or the time traveler's wife, but i went along with the group. who would have thought that five grown women would have wanted to watch a movie about a raucous group of men dealing with the drunken aftermath of a bachelor party in vegas?? i'm glad i was wrong - this movie is freaking hysterical!! sure, there is some crude, juvenile humor (though not quite as bad as i was led to believe) - but what's so wrong with that? sometimes you need to let loose and laugh at the risque jokes. loved, loved, loved this movie, we laughed so hard we were in tears! (oh, and i have a wee crush on bradley cooper - sorry, ryan, it's harmless!)

bed head

before alexandra was born, i spent many a moment daydreaming about what our beautiful girl would look like...

would she have my hazel eyes or her daddy's blue? (daddy 1, mommy 0)

would she have mine or her daddy's nose? (daddy 2, mommy 0)

would she have mine or her daddy's smile? (you guessed it - daddy 3, mommy 0)

is anyone starting to see a trend develop? is it too much to ask that your child look alot like you? it is only fair that our next child look identical to me.

i digress.

based upon the few physical characteristics between ryan and i that are similar, i knew it was safe to predict that our little girl would (1) have a rather large head (yep, 90th percentile! better to hold all those beautiful brains!), and (2), that she would have a headful of thick hair. the only question would be whether it would grow out stick-straight like her dad's, or naturally wavy/curly like mine.

well, of all things, my little girl got my hair!! if you look at photographs of me at the same age, we have the identical hair shade. over the past couple of months, alexandra's hair has grown very quickly and it now curls out over her ears and all over the back. poor little girl will have to battle humidity like her mommy for the rest of her life - as the day goes on, alexandra's curls grow bigger and bigger.

my sweet girl's hair has a mind of its own, and is at its peak after she has been sleeping. today's post-nap hairstyle was the best yet. i couldn't help but laugh when i entered her room, and then i promptly grabbed my rebel and started shooting away.






don't you just love it!! don't worry, i quickly put down the camera and combed all of the unruly hair into place.

you think 15 months is too young to start wearing hair product??

memoirs of a geisha

we had a very fun but very busy weekend - in a blink of an eye, it is almost over!

saturday morning i headed up to cincinnati to meet up with my wonderful friend christa to go shopping for bridesmaid dresses in the bridal district. this will be the 4th wedding i've been in, but the first where i've been the maid of honor and i'm very honored (sorry, couldn't think of a better description) and excited! our dress is from the brand "thread", and is called the serena, part of the party collection. here's a pic, just imagine it in a pretty navy. i really like it, it is not like any bridesmaid dress i've seen before.


i rushed home last night, only to head to a work function while ryan attended an engagement party for one of our friends. our sweet girl stayed home with her granny sharon (ryan's mom), who came down for a visit for the weekend. alexandra is blessed to have wonderful grandparents who love her very much and adore spending time with her - we think this is the 9th weekend in a row she has seen at least one set of grandparents or great-grandparents!

sharon's sister, karen (alexandra's great-aunt), was in thailand recently on a mission trip and brought alexandra back the cutest kimono and pant set. ryan mentioned that she looked like a little geisha - with my limited knowledge set about geishas, we will just limit the similarities to the outfit!!

ballard's beauties

once again, yet another long absence from the blog. i would list my excuses here, but you've heard them all before...swamped at work and at home, blah blah blah, so i will save them and just note that i will try to do better in the future by keeping up with my blogging.

so...i got an email today at work announcing the arrival of the "late summer" items from ballard designs. sigh ... i heart ballard designs. i really do think that i would love to have every item in the catalog in my home (if money grew on trees, of course). what i do not love are the prices - sometimes you can get a pretty good deal, but the prices on some of these things are freaking ridiculous.

here are a few of the ever so lovely items that stood out to me, i'm sure you will agree they are all quite fabulous:


citron with black arnoux wooden pot, $69 (say what?!?!)


monogrammed large ottoman tray, $99 (good southern girl that i am, you know i am just a sucker for anything monogrammed)


le poeme indoor outdoor rug (no idea where i'd put it, but this just looks very chic)


le mans counter stool, $139


sofia settee, $1159 (in chocolate, this settee would look mighty cute in my living room against my yellow-green walls covered in sherwin williams rye grass)


marcello wood table lamp, base $89 (love that this is made out of mango wood)

oh ballard designs, why must you tempt me so with your super cute pieces with undesirable prices??

candyland

i just love these pictures of a birthday party hostess with the mostess recently planned for nancy o'dell's (from access hollywood) daughter's birthday party. so colorful and looks like it would be a blast for both kids and adults!






all pictures credited to hostess with the mostess.

a picture-perfect summer night

would entail sitting here and watching the sunset...


while devouring a juicy blueberry tart with fresh cream ...



and polishing it off with a glass (or two) of ...


(the first two pictures are from the beautiful blackberry farm, nestled in the great smokey mountains of tennessee. doesn't it look gorgeous?? have any of you been there??)

roller babies

have you seen this video spot for evian?? so, so cute - i don't care what kind of day you're having, this will automatically put a huge silly grin on your face!!

the boys are back in town

woo hoo! ari, vincent, drama, eric, turtle, and even lloyd are back in action beginning july 12th. i loved this show the first two seasons, but it has been a little lackluster the past few summers. i'm hopeful this season will be a huge improvement. ari and lloyd are my favorites, love the exchanges that go on between those two!

buddha belly

i haven't snuck in a picture of the little cutie lately, so here's one taken a week or two ago, completely naked except for the diaper. check out that belly!! love it, so perfectly round and cute - really, the only point in life that you can get away with such a belly is as a baby and toddler!! i still can't believe she is only in the 15th percentile on weight...

cutting a rug

with a new home comes lots of spaces to fill, including floors. while i love colorful rugs, and love how they can really pull everything together in a room and establish a cohesive look, i also (a) tend to be picky, and (b) can hardly afford the very expensive price tag that usually accompanies a rug of a decent size. what's a girl with champagne taste and a beer budget to do??

to my great surprise, i've had a ton of luck with two rugs in our new home. the first is a rug for our kitchen. we have a pretty good size kitchen with white cabinetry, rubbed bronze hardware and accents, and mocha (read medium brown) walls. i found some fabulous golden and cream toile fabric that my very talented mother turned into draperies for the very large windows overlooking the dining area. while i realize brown and yellow doesn't sound too visually appealing, i really like the combination. i figured that i would have a terrible time trying to find a rug that incorporated both colors, but imagine my surprise when i stumbled upon this beauty on pottery barn's website:


here's a close-up:


what was the best part?? it was on sale!! and even greater?? my local pottery barn here in louisville had one in stock so i didn't have to order it online and incur shipping expenses!!

the second rug i lucked onto today through a fellow blogger. i love when i learn of great products, sales, etc. through the various blogs that i read, and i was definitely not disappointed with little green notebook's post today about a collection of martha stewart rugs over at overstock. i have been searching for yet another rug, approximately 4' x 6', to go in our master bath. we have a very pretty, light shade of blue (with the slightest hint of turquoise) on our master bedroom and bathroom walls. what isn't so pretty is the vast expanse of the white ceramic tile floor in the bathroom. so you can imagine my happiness to discover this beautiful rug, which i think will fit perfectly in the space and cover the not so attractive floor:


and again, it was a steal! plus, overstock charges $2.95 shipping on your entire order. where else are you going to have a rug shipped to you for less than $5?!?!

pictures to come, i promise!

how stinkin' cute

seriously, folks, she has done it again....just when i thought nothing could be much cuter than those cupcake pops, bakerella has topped herself once again in honor of father's day. check out these cuties....


looks like scrumptious little hamburgers and french fries, no?? think again...the "buns" are cupcake tops and bottoms, the "patty" is a rich brownie, and the "fries" are cookies. seriously, she has more creativity in her pinkie finger than 10 people combined!

if i won the lottery....

...or had one of these growing in our backyard...


i would totally buy out everything i could find in anthropologie, starting with all of their cute dresses. feast your eyes on these beauties...


(really, how great is a dress with pockets??)


(love the color, reminds me of the deepest color of the bay next to Providenciales in Turks & Caicos, where we went on our honeymoon.)


(i have been on a major yellow kick here lately, though I'm not exactly sure why.)

Sigh....

so fresh and so clean

when you have a lunch extravaganza that results in this:



tub time inevitably follows:

just a swingin'

we had some gorgeous weather here in ky today ...

our new house came complete with a slide/swing set and we replaced one of the old swings with a girly pink toddler swing (thanks mimi and grandpops!). alexandra enjoyed some hang time in her new swing - i could not seem to get a good picture of her smiling, for some reason. she alternated between looking relaxed and enjoying the breeze, and kicking her feet madly and laughing her little head off....oh, how i love that sound!





**please ignore the ugly, bare, sorry looking fence behind the swing set - we plan on covering it with lovely wisteria to cover up all the drab!**

we followed alexandra's swing time with a walk around the neighborhood. we really do love our new neighborhood (i promise there will be pictures of the new house in future posts!), and our neighbors are so friendly. pearl had a particularly good time on our walk - she met some new friendly dogs and got a lot of love from one family who told us they had just lost their first dog, a lab that looked just like our pearl, in february. seriously, the wife was almost in tears looking at pearl and called pearl by her old dog's name a couple of times. it was very sweet. after all of that exercise and attention, pearl was wiped out.



i love how she is looking straight into the camera in that second picture as if to say, "seriously, mom, get that damn camera out of my face!" (oh, and you can see a glimpse of one of our new great room chairs in the first photograph).

i think both my girls will sleep well tonight ... (wait, i just jinxed myself, better go knock on wood).

shut up - that's dj tanner?!?!

i have no shame ... i'll admit that back in the 90's, i did watch full house, religiously i might add. as a kid and pre-teen, i loved every aspect of that show (except for bob saget). i even had a wee crush on uncle jesse (hey, john stamos still looks good). i stumbled upon one of the old shows the other day and found myself cringing at the terrible writing - what was i thinking??

at any rate, i was on yahoo this morning and stumbled upon this picture of candace cameron bure aka dj tanner, and was taken aback at the great picture.



i think she is about my age, and i remember always following dj's storylines. looks like she has done pretty well for herself in the years since the show, and i think she looks far better (and healthier) than the olsen twins with their gaunt frames and bag lady wardrobes.

birthday bonanza

so the next whirlwind events in our little household after alexandra's actual birthday were the closings on our old home in st. matthews and our new home out in prospect (two days apart), followed by alexandra's first birthday party. a word of advice for all of you out there - never, ever, plan two closings, a child's birthday party, and moving from one home to a new home in less than a week - not smart!!

we had alexandra's party admist boxes and packing material - thank goodness we were surrounded by family who didn't mind all the mess! i tried to decorate the best i could, given the boxes and the fact that our home had been stripped to the bare essentials. i was up till 1am (!!) the night before the party, baking the infamous cupcake pops made famous by bakerella, as well as alexandra's birthday cake. how my friday nights have changed over the course of a few years!! i was happy to do it, though - alexandra's personal cake turned out so cute (even if she didn't really tear into the cake itself, i could have just set out a tub of icing and she would have been content). it looked like a very large cupcake - the cake tin came from williams sonoma. the cakepops weren't nearly as pretty as bakerella's and they were a lot more work than i anticipated, but they were a huge hit with our guests.

one of the best aspects of the day was the fact that my sister rachel and her boyfriend, jeff, were able to make it for the party - we weren't sure that they would be able to so that really made the day complete.

enjoy the pictures of the birthday girl! please ignore my face in the one where she is getting ready to blow out her candle (well, not really - she is only 1 after all). i don't know what came over me, but as we were singing happy birthday, i found myself overwhelmed with emotion. how could my little girl be 1 already?? i'm such a sap!

so much to say

and so much to catch up on! as you can tell from my last blog post, we have had alot of things going on in our little household. over the next few days, i hope to write a few more posts to catch you up to speed.

to kick things off, on the morning of alexandra's first birthday (may 4th), the uber talented photographer, priscilla baierlein, came to our house to take some beautiful photographs of our little girl. and when is say beautiful, i mean BEAUTIFUL. words cannot convey how much i love these pictures - and these are just a few from the session, i haven't seen them all yet!! priscilla is so immensely talented and a sweetheart, to boot. if you live in the central kentucky area and are looking for a fantastic photographer, look no further than priscilla - she's the best.

here's a sampling:


i adore this picture - this was immediately after alexandra had her first taste of a cupcake. she wasn't quite sure what to make of the cupcake at first, but then (like a girl after my own heart), she plunged her fingers into the icing, delicately placed a finger on her lips, and then her eyes lit up and she gave me this look as if to say, "mommy, why have i not had this before!!" in this picture, alexandra is licking some of the icing off her chin.




how cute is this one?? i have always wanted to get a picture of alexandra in her little chair (originally posted here) that her papa and nana got for her before she was even born. it has an "a" monogrammed on the seat.


love her little bottom!



i don't remember what we were laughing at here, but such a sweet moment.


hope you enjoyed these! off to bed now - i know, it is so early, but i have a 4:30 wake up time tomorrow to drive 4 hours away for a court appearance. ugh!!

busy little bee

i've had such a long absence from the blog, but i've been as busy as a bee. the past few weeks have included:

days at the races:



celebrating a very special birthday:


moving into our new home:


chasing after a very mobile one year old:


and soaking up every moment i can with this adorable little girl:


more posts with lots of pictures to come, i promise!!

happy birthday alexandra grace

please forgive me for being such a sentimental pile of mush tonight, but i felt compelled to share this on my blog on this very special day.


dearest alexandra grace,

for most people, 8:49 pm came and went tonight with no fanfare - some might have been watching tv, some might have been reading, still others (including you) might have been asleep. but for your mommy and daddy, 8:49 was a very special moment to remember because it was at that time one year ago that you, precious child, were born.


how is it that it has already been one year?? in some ways it seems like just yesterday, yet it also seems like another lifetime ago since that morning after the derby when your daddy and i arrived at the hospital so i could be induced. the other day coming home from daycare, i turned in my seat and asked you how you have gotten so big, and you just laughed and gave me a toothy smile. people often laugh at your mommy for saying this, but i truly do not remember what life was like before you were born. anything that happened before we knew you was dull in comparison - the sky was not as blue, the grass was not as green, and life, well, it just wasn't as sweet. i never realized something was missing in my life until i met you - you filled a hole in my life, sweet child, that i didn't even know existed and you have made us a family.


i have never felt quite such a bond with anyone else in my life. i practically fly through the door at night just to see you smile - it's the best part of my day! when you see me round the corner and your face lights up with glee, you crawl toward me as fast as your little body can go and hold your arms up so i can scoop you up and pull you in close for a big hug and your own special version of a kiss - and everything inside of me melts. i hope that we always share such a close bond.


not a day goes by that i don't thank GOD that i have you as a daughter. i don't know what i did to deserve such a precious gift, but i thank HIM because i know that it was HE who deemed me worthy of being your mommy.


as i laid you down asleep tonight, i found myself standing there by your crib for several minutes, stroking your hair and thanking god that i have you as a daughter - just like i did at 8:49 pm on may 4, 2008, when i heard your first cry and the labor and delivery nurses brought you around the surgical drape so i could see your face for the first time. it was the most precious, beautiful sight i had ever laid my eyes upon.

darling girl, i wish you the very happiest of birthdays. it has been a wonderful, wacky, loving and exciting roller coaster this past year, and i cannot wait to see what the future holds. i love you so very much, all the time with all my heart.

xoxo

mommy

a big day is approaching

someone extra special is about to celebrate a huge day....


can you possibly guess what it is??


my baby girl is turning one on monday!! i can hardly believe it. does it make me selfish that i wish i could just keep her this size forever and that she would never grow up? i just love her to pieces, she makes every aspect of our lives that much better.

(oh, and the super cute monogrammed party hat and first birthday bib?? those came from the very talented etsy seller dainty couture - i highly recommend them, great customer service and i got the items in the mail very quickly.).

my fabulous hat

greetings from sunny louisville, where the temperature this lovely friday afternoon has risen to a balmy 85 degrees - woo hoo! people are out in droves, enjoying the derby festival and getting ready for tomorrow's balloon race and the derby mini-marathon. there couldn't have been better timing for my friend anna to send me pictures of my hat that she designed for me to wear to churchill downs next week (here's my dress i'm wearing that i posted about recently). isn't it fabulous?! i can't wait to wear it, i just hope the weather is as beautiful next week as it is today!

cupcake pops

i might be biting off more than i can chew, but i really would like to make these cupcake pops (created by the uber talented bakerella) for alexandra's 1st birthday in a couple of weeks. actually, the recipe doesn't sound too hard so if i find time amidst all of the party preparations, packing and moving, i'll have to take a stab at these!

love for louisville

i arrived home today to find two treats had arrived in the mail - the latest us weekly (a guilty addiction, to be sure) and garden & gun (a delicious magazine that profiles all things good and southern). i was happy to spot on the cover a story entitled "27 reasons to love louisville." of course I had to tear open the magazine to the story and see what made the list. i was met with a plethora of **beautiful** photographs that showcased our city so well. i was happy to see that some of our favorite restaurants and locales made the list, and delighted to see a few new spots to try out. here's the full list for all future visitors to the 'ville who plan to arrive in our state for the upcoming derby festivities!


**eat**

211 clover lane
610 magnolia
blue dog bakery & cafe
corbett's: an american place
jack fry's
lilly's
pat's steak house
proof on main
toast on market

(this household would highly recommend both corbett's and jack fry's!)


**drink**

bourbon's bistro
flabby schnitzelburg
magnolia bar
nachbar
old seelbach bar


**shop**

edenside gallery
just creations
the makery
old town wine & spirits
scout
why louisville


**see**

churchill downs
muhammad ali center
slugger field
waterfront park


**sleep**

21c museum hotel
brown hotel
seelbach hilton

tasty treats

wowza..... how good does this raspberry margarita look?? makes me pine for a vacation. the recipe can be found here at hostess with the mostess, one of my favorite blogs - she is so, so creative!

derby eve's eve

seeing the arrival of the kentucky derby barbie was like a swift-kick-in-the-pants reminder that i needed to come up with an outfit for this year's festivities! we won't be attending the actual derby itself or the races the day before derby(commonly known as the oaks - the hat i am wearing in my profile picture is the one i wore to the oaks in 2007), but will be going to churchill downs on corporate day, which falls two days before derby (thursday). we were invited by our very good friends andy and amanda to join them in the state farm tent (where andy works). we are **really** looking forward to it, especially since we missed all the derby festivities last year - you know, what with me being due on derby day to give birth to our first child and all.

so....that brings me to my fashion dilemma. around lunch i received one of my daily email alerts of a great secret sale going on at rue la la (have you heard of it?? it's a fantastic private sale website for all kind of great designer brands - you can only check out the sales by invite only, so if you're interested leave me a comment with your email address and i'll send you one!). i checked out the sales, not expecting to find anything in particular, when i stumbled upon this little number:



i noticed that there were only two dresses left and i knew it was meant to be because the only two left were in my size! the fact that the dress was 60% off the retail price didn't hurt! i gleefully purchased the dress, happy by the fact that i had gotten a steal and already thinking ahead to all of the great finishing touches i already had at home to complete the look (bronze/gold strappy heels? check. big gold hoops? check. cream colored wrap to ward off the possible cold breezes?? check!)

i have an uber-talented friend that owns her own business designing hats (for those local gals, check out her hats at blink boutique!) creating me a fantastic cream or brown number and i'll be sure to post pictures when i'm done.

bring on the derby!!