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.