Gaines walking...

Today our little guy just randomly decided he was ready to start walking. YEA!!!

What I'm reading now....

So I finished Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. I have to reiterate my original blog posting on this book....this one is a complete RIOT! Let me put it this way....Don't read this one (specifically the last three chapters) on a plane or any other place where you are close to strangers.

When I boarded the plane to head to Minneapolis on Tuesday, I only had three chapters left. I was super excited to finish up the book and then it happened.... Chelsea made some humorous statement and I started giggling....I continued reading and kept giggling and got to the point where I couldn't stop no matter how hard I tried. At points, I was laughing so hard that I had to put the book down and look away to try to avoid snorting out loud or peeing in my pants (a very Chelsea thing to do I must add). SERIOUSLY...I was dying...on the plane! I could tell the lady next to me was very annoyed and I absolutely don't blame her. Anyway, can't wait to read another one of her books as they are beyond hilarious. I only recommend this one (and likely any of her books) if you are not offended by vulgarness though.

After finishing this laugh-out-loud book, I moved on to something more serious....

Its subject? It's a satirical novel about the suburb town of Mapleton. At the heart of this book a “Rapture-like phenomenon” takes place in which millions of people vanish one day, leaving their friends and families unsure how to respond. But, was it "the Rapture"? It seems to have been a "random harvest," with Muslims, Jews, atheists and homosexuals (not to mention J.Lo, Vladimir Putin, Adam Sandler and the pope) among the disappeared. Plenty of irritated super-devout Christians are still hanging around here on Earth, along with all sorts of bewildered ordinary folks. Sound good??? I'm actually having a hard time putting this book down. Tom Perotta is a great writer. Some of his well-known books are Little Children and Election. I should be done with this one soon and look forward to giving you the full review.

At last...a weekend at home (so I thought)...

This past weekend was our first weekend to be home in WEEKS. Literally since 4th of July weekend we've either been on the road or had plans....non-stop I'm telling you. So we were uber-excited about having a full long weekend at home to enjoy family time and get organized (BTW...why is it that we're always in need of organization!?!?!?).

Well come Saturday, I was in a HORRIBLE mood (as hard as I tried not to be) and was not pleasant to be around....AT ALL! I rarely ever allow myself to get this way but unfortunately work pushed me to this point. So here it is Saturday of a Holiday weekend and I was hell on wheels. Nice! All I could think about were all my work deadlines and wondered how in the world I was going to get it all done. This formula resulted in one moody mommy! I think Clay kind of got the hint and on Sunday he decided to take the kids down to his parents in Baird in hopes this would give me the opportunity to work all day and get some stuff done. He's smart because he knew if the kids were home that I wouldn't get anything done and would continue to stress and be hell on wheels. Very intuitive I must say!

Anyway, they headed out Sunday first thing and I worked from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m then took a break to try to start getting the house organized. It felt SO good to get work items checked off the list. I woke up first thing Monday and worked more then organized more. Before I knew it Clay and the kids were back and we were able to have a very enjoyable Labor Day Monday!

It all worked out perfect other than the fact that I wasn't with Gaines or Lo on Sunday and I left yesterday for Minneapolis. When it's the evening or weekend, I want to spend all my free time with the kiddos so I hated this wasn't the case over the weekend. However, my guilt went away when I found out how much fun Gaines and specifically Lola had playing with their cousin Doss. It's been a while since we've gotten them together and they had a blast. So in the end it was all worth it for me (as I got TONS of work done and some stress unloaded) and the kids as they were able to spend time with cousin Doss. Here they are...

Lola and Doss move a bit faster than Gaines so I hear he had a hard time keeping up. But, Clay did capture one photo of Gainesy and Doss playing with a ball.

Hope everyone is having a fab week! I already can't wait to get back home to the beautiful weather Austin is having...lower 90s...OH HEAVEN!!!

An Elsley must have ....

We MUST get this Fish Hotel Fishbowl for our little Elsley! How cool is this tank?!?!? It's like the Soho Grand of fishbowls. If you gotta have a fishbowl then this is the one to have right?!?!?!?


Elsley has really become a part of the family. We love him and his little personality. Yes, I'm talking about a fish! But, seriously, he wags his tail around when you go up to him and tries to communicate with us...in a very fishy kind of way.

I almost killed him last week and I went in to complete panic mode. I was changing his water out and refilled it with water that was too cold. Before thinking I put him back in his bowl and felt he was possibly freezing to death...literally he froze and wasn't moving...this wasn't like Elsley. We immediately put him outside in the heat to get the temp of his water down and since it was 109 degrees, that didn't take long. He was alive and kicking this morning so we're all good. Would have hated to lose him!

Enamored by...

This week I'm really enamored by the following...

Themis Mobile by designer and illustrator Clara von Zweigbergk. I know lots of people about to have babies and this is a perfect modern mobile.

Eames children's elephants created by none other than Charles and Ray Eames as they were fascinated by elephants. How fab are they?!?!? Great to sit in a child's room, living room, outside, etc. They are big enough for kids to sit on and light enough for them to move around. I love these!
I'm also enamored by this fashion statement...

The 60s and the 70s had absolutely the best hair dos. I'm loving that the trend is coming back. Bangs. Check. Now I need to grow my hair out so I can have a fab pouf like this. I'm also loving/enamored by her makeup. Simplicity at its best. I feel the following outfit would go right along with the bang/pouf hair style...

OB-SESSED with this Polynesian Princess Romper. I've been all about rompers this summer and plan to take them into Fall. This ones on sale now so I may have to add it to my romper collection!

To top off the hair and romper, you must add this Spilling Chains Necklace and the Dara Ettinger ocean's floor ring. LOVE!!!

Finally, we can't end this without presenting a fabulous pair of shoes to help tie the whole outfit together (b/c this is my vice right?!?!?). How great would this outfit be with this Miista Naia Heel!?!?!?


I know summer is quickly winding down (although the heat isn't) but slip on a cardigan over the romper (I would pair it with a bold animal print cardi) and VOILA you have yourself a groovy fall outfit. Oh...It's all so Carrie Bradshaw and I'm enamored by it....

AND one more thing I'm enamored by and this one is a BIG one. We did the whole cry it out thing with Gaines and we've gone a full 5 days without him waking up. Sleeps from 8:30 p.m. until 7:15 a.m. YAY! EEEE-NAMORED!!! Why didn't we do this 8 months ago????

Everyone have a great Labor day weekend. I'm off to Minneapolis next week and then Chicago the following for work but then should be on the ground and stable for a few weeks (other than a few Dallas, Houston and Marfa trips planned). Will be nice to put the suitcase away for a while!

Wedding Bliss - Part II (Dream Wedding)

I realize this blog is very much delayed but it seems I'm just now getting to my Wedding Bliss - Part II blog which of course is a continuation of Wedding Bliss - Part I...better late then never I guess.

I'm dying to somehow make this wedding a part of my life...so much so that I've thought about this in great detail....Clay and I could get a divorce only to re-marry the next day (probably not the best of options right?!?!?) or we could renew our vowels (liking this but we just missed our 10 yr anniversary which would have been the ideal time to do it) or we could have a Halloween party where Clay and I are the bride and groom and everyone else is either in the wedding party or are wedding guests...hmmm...what to do...what to do????

Anyway, check this wedding out featured on the Green Wedding Shoes blog....I die!!!

Seriously cool couple. Check out her turquoise shoes and his totally hip shorts suit. Ummm....and what about their groovy friends and their outfits. LOVE!


Styling & Design: sitting in a tree // Photography: Joielala Photographie // Florals: Tend Living // Truck & food: MIHO Gastrotruck // Videography: Austin Hendrix Productions // Hair Accessories: Lo Boheme // Hair & Makeup: 10.11 Makeup // Furniture: Personal collection & Archive Vintage Rentals // Clothing: Personal collection & Bad Madge // Jewelry: Shel // Bowties & Ties: Tux and Tulle

These shoes are made for walking...

Over the past month or so I've invested in some shoes for the baby boy in hopes they would help him get up and at 'em and start walking. Not so much. However, one day last week Gaines randomly grabbed his little push cart we got him for his birthday and started walking across the room. We went nuts! Up until that point, he has shown absolutely NO interest in walking. The days following this excitement he actually took one step when he was trying to get from the coffee table to me on the couch. I thought we were on our way to walking but now Gainesy boy has decided he's not very interested in the whole walking thing after all. I mean...he won't even stand on his own. Although he could if he wanted to, he prefers to squat and get into the crawl position. I guess I don't blame him because he is a mover and a groover when it comes to crawling. So here's how it normally goes...

He's standing and kind of liking it...

He's decided to go for it and take a step...

And he's done! Time to get down in the comfortable position...the crawl!

BTW...Are you loving the Toms or what?!?!?!?

I also have Gaines some white converse that I love pairing with bright colored striped socks. And, here's another one I couldn't resist.

You seriously have never seen something quite as cute as these little Natives on Gaines. L-O-V-E! These are actually his favorite scoots. As you can tell, I'm pretty much obsessed with shoes...whether it be for me, Lo or Gaines and I have a REAL hard time resisting all shoes, boots, flip-flops, etc. A vice I have I guess. Speaking of vice...I'm also dying to get this Puma for Gaines...


I'm going to wait until he's officially walking before I invest in this one. You know how fast their little feet grow so I can't get too out of control. Plus, as much as I love shoes, I still LOVE a barefooted baby!

What I'm reading...

It took me longer than normal to finish my last book which was The Help. I've had so many people tell me how much they loved it and some even say it was their "all time favorite book". But, for me, it was a tough read. Not because it wasn't good...because it was....mainly because it was super depressing. A story that needed to be told no doubt but it was very heartbreaking from my standpoint. And, to be honest, in parts of the South, things haven't changed just a whole lot which makes it even more depressing. Over the weekend, a girlfriend told me since I've finished the book I have to go see the movie but I'm not sure I can put myself through that. I find myself avoiding any movie that can bring a tear to my eye! I know I'm missing out on a lot by taking this approach but I just can't help it.

With this, I had to lighten things up. So I started reading Are You There, Vodka? IT'S ME, CHELSEA by Chelsea Handler.

Let me just tell you...this book is a COMPLETE riot. I mean the title alone...HIL-ARIOUS! I'm not necessarily a huge Chelsea Handler fan but I'm still loving the book and will likely be a huge fan from here on out. To be honest, she reminds me of me just a bit (minus her laugh-out-loud humor)...I think it's her thought process when she gets herself in a "pickle"...I seem to always get myself in some sort of "pickle" (like Chelsea) and when I do I have a similar thought process as Chelsea. Anyway, this book is fabulous and worth reading if you want to have a good laugh.

One Charming Party

I love to check in on the One Charming Party blog! Two moms who love crafts and party planning started this blog a few years back. There are so many fun projects I'm dying to do with the kids and so many great party ideas. Here is a project I want to partake in with the kiddos asap.

Water Party: Sponge Ball

How cute are these sponge balls?!?!? I just think this is such a great /easy project to do with the kids then run outside to play in the pool. I know Lo will enjoy making them and Gaines will love playing with these sponge balls in the pool as he's all about balls right now. Absolutely can't wait to give it a whirl! Will post pictures once we do.

We went to the lake this past weekend to hang with friends. Lola has really become super confident with her new swimming skills. By yesterday afternoon, she was jumping off the doc into the lake and swimming around all without a life jacket. Gaines also LOVES water. We have him a little infant jacket and he dives in and tries to swim like the big kids. He loves putting his head under water and all. I think we have another little swimmer in the works as we speak.

Lo in Rag

I don't believe I've told yall the story of Lo's most recent hair cut. I was getting real tired of her long stringy hair mainly because she would never let us brush it. Every morning it was a screaming fight to try to get her hair to a presentable point. By the end I said "screw it" she can go to school with a rats nest on her head for all I care. With this, I've been DYING to get it cut but daddy bear loved it and didn't want to get it cut (let the debate begin!). He says "Some people pay money to try to get their hair to look like this." Meaning, un-brushed kind of wavy hair. I'm not so sure about the paying money part but I get what he's saying...people try to get the whole "natural" look I guess.

Anyway, I got to the point where I was fed up and one day I decided to get the scissors out. Lo said she wanted it as short as Gaines. Luckily, since I'm not Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and I don't take a comment like this to heart as she's only 3 1/2 and doesn't really know how she wants her hair I don't think (If you remember, when Shiloh Pitt wanted her hair short like her brothers, they cut it). So one day when Lo got out of the bath, we sat there and cut her hair. I was trying to get it to where it was all one length not realizing how much I was cutting it. I chopped away and once I was done I went into PANIC mode because I really chopped it and didn't realize how much until it was a done deal.

It may be hard to tell from the pic but this is a few inches of hair. Although I miss her "long beautiful hair", I'm getting used to the new cut now and kind of like it. I also know it will grow better now. Lola loves it and will now let me brush it which is nice. I'll have to post a pic of the "new do" soon!

On another note, Lola recently moved up to a new "big girl" classroom at school and I've never seen a little girl happier. She wakes up ready to walk out the door immediately to head to school. This morning she said "Mommy, I'm going to smile all the way to school today because I'm so excited!" How cute it this! She's always loved school but this move has taken it to another level. She can't wait to get there and doesn't want to leave. She also asked me this morning if "Madison could come over this weekend to play?" so it looks like we'll have to get a play-date in the works. After only a week in this class, she's already learned so much. It's actually amazing! She can now identify most of her numbers and is almost there with her letters. She's also learning to write which is all new to us so we had to get the tracing paper out last night like they do at school. Love seeing Lola so happy and learning so much!

Everyone have a fab weekend! We're off to the lake for hopefully a relaxing weekend with friends.

Toodaloo!

It's all about the Texas tuxedo!

I'm dying to pull off the "Texas tuxedo" look this fall and winter. Bring on the cool weather because here I come. Now...when I say "Texas tuxedo", I'm not referring to this kind...


But, something more like this from The Satorialist.

Or, these looks from Free People.

I've also been on a hunt for the perfect fun ankle boot to spice up the good ol' Texas tuxedo and I'm loving these two options...actually obsessed with both of them....

I saw these Sam Edelman Petty animal print boot in the August issue of Lucky mag and fell in love with them.

Or, I'm also loving this stripe Jeffrey Campbell boot...literally LOVE!

Tough call on this one! And, my boot obsession continues....

On another note, if you're reading this blog, you know I've been in NYC this week. And, if you watch any TV, you know there was an earthquake on the East Coast this week. Yep! I experienced an earthquake....ABSOLUTE CRAZINESS!!!

This trip my client was on Wall Street right across from the Stock Exchange. We were on the 10th floor and all the sudden felt the building shake and keep shaking and keep shaking. I locked my eyes on my work colleague across the table and was thinking "OMG....is this normal?" Then I realized it wasn't normal and my first thought was "It's a terrorist attack." I didn't think it was our building being attacked but I thought it may be a building close and we were feeling it but then my mind kept spinning..."What will happen next? What floor are we on? What do we do? Do we run downstairs? If we're not able, can we jump out the window if it is an attack? Not an option as we're on the 10th floor...WHAT DO WE DO???" After what seemed to be 20 + minutes but was probably only 20 seconds, my colleague said to me "This is not normal!". I just sat in silence thinking of my kids and family. We quickly found out it was an earthquake. Although I was relieved it wasn't a terrorist attack, I still was thinking I would rather be on floor 1 rather than floor 10 just in case there were aftershocks. I toughed it out and stayed but it took my heart about 1 hour to slow down and stop bouncing out of my chest. THIS my friends is an experience/feeling I will never forget!

Oh how I miss you...

NYC

I'm here...in NYC and here are just a few things I miss:

• The people.
  
• The cultural diversity.
• The style. Everyone has style regardless if they have a "fashion sense" because in NYC, every one's personal style is considered "a style" without even trying. I love this!
• The food. I'm even super excited about getting a bagel with creme cheese from one of the local street vendors tomorrow morning.
  
• The smell of the subways. Weird I know. But, as I jumped on the 1 train and switched over to the express 2, I felt like I never left...like I still live here and am a true part of the City. For a moment, I wished we still lived here...I wished I was heading home to our walk-up apartment....until I saw a mother carrying her infant stroller up the subway steps...yep...that all went away and I'm happy we're in Austin!
  
• The buildings.
• The architecture.
• The history.
  
• The crisp blue skies.
• The flowers. I love that all the flowers at all the local markets. I wanted to grab a bundle for my hotel room when I was walking back last night. I stopped myself as I realized this may be a little much!
  
• The weather. When I landed in NYC at 2:15 p.m., it was 77 degrees. It was 78 degrees in Austin when I left my house at 5:00 a.m. Something is seriously wrong with this picture. In Texas, you would not consider walking out of the house without shorts or a sundress on only...in NYC, everyone is in jeans and cardigans. Oh so nice!
  
• The shopping.
• The friends. Looking forward to dinner with them tomorrow night.
  
• The feeling you have when you're here. Indescribable!
• The hustle and bustle.
• The sounds. I slept with my window open last night and it was amazing! The sounds of the breeze between the buildings, the cars, the people talking/walking...I'm way up on the 16th floor and felt like I could hear it all....like I was in the moment with all the sounds in the City.
  
• The energy. This city makes me feel like there is still hope for this country....for this world.
  

I decided to do something different this trip. I'm staying at the World Trade Center. I've never stayed downtown but I'm absolutely enamored by it! As we are coming up on the 10 year anniversary of 9/11, I feel so much staying here....being here! I think of all those lost and where we are today. How it's changed all of us who watched it on TV and those who lived through it. For the good....for the bad...I don't know...but we've all changed.


I truly love NYC!

The bane of my existence AGAIN!

Gosh...I can't believe it's been over a week since I've posted a blog. Needless to say last week was insane. And the bad news is this week will not be any better. As a matter of fact, I'm sitting at the airport right now waiting for a flight. My 7:00 a.m. flight was canceled, I had to switch airlines and now I don't leave until 9:30 a.m. Unfortunately, this will really set me back this week as I won't get to my audit until much later than anticipated. At least this gives me time to post a blog and then I'll get an hour or two of work in before it's time to board. Oh the life of a traveling Mama...

Guess what's back?!?!?!? The bane of my existence...THE BOTTLE! If you don't remember this from child #1, see The Bane of My Existence Part I and Part II. Yes, there were two parts. Looking back at those postings, I couldn't help but giggle. Boy how I've changed. I was so obsessed with the whole "cut your baby off the bottle at 12 months because that's what "they" say to do" thing. It's funny seeing my obsession over it. Now I can think clearly and know that my children will not walk into kindergarten with a bottle in hand so it's not such a big deal if Gaines doesn't want to let go of his bottle at 12 months. PHEW...one thing less to stress about!

Even though I'm not obsessing about this particular issue, I can already tell you this will once again be "the bane of my existence" because, like Lola, Gaines is super attached to his bottle. Both my kids never took to a pacifier, blanket, doll, etc. I tried hard with both of them with a blanket and/or doll by rocking them with it, putting it in their crib, etc but neither one of them were interested. But, the bottle....oh the bottle they love oh so much!

Angle 1

Angle 2

It doesn't matter which angle you look at the baby boy...both ways it's VERY clear he loves his bottle. Gaines will take a sippy cup but they are not his preference when he wants to get serious with his la-la-la leche....only the bottle works in these serious situations! My plan is to start weaning him over the next 6 weeks. After trying several different sippy cups from Target and HEB, I've finally invested in the Think Baby and Born Free cups. I figure since these are his favorite bottles, maybe it will make the transition a little easier.

Definitely will need him weaned by October 26th as that's when his new baby cousin (Porter Davis Rope) is due to arrive and I will need to hand the bottles back over to Aunt Beans and Uncle Adam for the new addition. As usual, I'll keep ya posted!

So many updates for you but not sure if I'll get to them this week due to the hectic work schedule. We just got back from a long weekend with the family down in New Braunfels. Floating that river is my idea of heaven...SO much fun! Lola, Gaines and Curry are all "river rats". They loved it! Lola was able to put her new swimming skills to use and is already drastically improving. We'll continue to practice as we're heading to a swim party then the lake this coming weekend. I'm telling you...it's NONSTOP around here! It seems we never stop blowin' and a goin'....

Enamored by....

Today I'm enamored by the fact that I went to the doctor earlier this week for my much dreaded annual obgyn visit and an appointment that should have taken one hour took three hours. First off, I've been rescheduling this appointment since January. I know this because the last time I went for my regular post-having baby 6 month check-up, my doctor (whom I LOVE) basically DEMANDED that I stop breastfeeding as it was causing too much stress (if you remember, Gaines never latched so I was spending half my days pumping...going insane). She also demanded I come back in two weeks to confirm I had in fact stopped breastfeeding and for my annual. Since I didn't stop as ordered I continued to delay that appointment. Then, when I did stop (VERY hard decision and only stopped because my pump died and I thought it was a sign...even though I don't really believe in signs...I cried and cried), I continued to reschedule due to my busy work schedule. Little did I know it would only get worse!

So come Tuesday when I had an appointment scheduled, I yet again called to reschedule but they wouldn't let me. Yep! Basically, demanded I come in so I was forced to go....ARGH! The appointment was interesting to say the least. My blood pressure was so high that my doc walked in saying "What in the world is going on?" So I let it all out....works insane, still no sleep, screaming kids, traveling constantly for work, traveling every weekend due to non-stop plans, etc. She spent the next hour lecturing me and telling me I have to get some things under control. She also confirmed that the light headed/nauseous feeling I get everyday is likely due to the high blood pressure. In addition to all this, I confessed that I was having baby fever....her eyes opened up very wide and she DEMANDED that I absolutely could not have another baby right now until something gives in my life and then DEMANDED I get on a birth control (I'm thinking she didn't trust me). Of course, since my blood pressure is so high, I can't be on a birth control so she is using another method. I'm telling you...she wasn't letting me walk out of that office without some sort of birth control! Finally, I had to get blood work done to see if something else is going on causing this blood pressure issue, fatigue and all the other.

So, that's what I'm enamored by this week...the fact that my health is now officially being affected (Or is it effected??? Never have been able to get this one straight.) by my very stressful life. Yet, I still have to go on with this life and meet the deadlines, wake up with the kids, etc...it's not like I can just run away from all of it to take a sabbatical. BTW....when I was pushing for the 3rd child thing I told her..."Think about it...if I get pregnant then I know I have a 3 month sabbatical just around the corner (a.k.a - maternity leave) ...maybe that will help my stress"...she did not fall for that one. As a matter of fact, she looked at me like I was completely insane...frankly, I probably am!

Now, on a good note, I'm also enamored by this dollhouse...

Is this 1970s dollhouse rockin' or what?!?!?!? The artists/maker is Christopher Cole.

Lola is all about dollhouses right now. I'm dying to get her a fabulous house she can use to play with her Erikas. Lo has three dolls she named Erika. She's always looking for them saying "Where are my Erikas?". She also sleeps with them every night. The current dollhouse she has was a Christmas gift from her Tia Molly, Tio Ben and cousin Doss. I love this one because she was able to color and paint it to make it her own. However, the Erikas don't fit in this house.

By Kidsonroof

I've been scoping this dollhouse from PlanToys for a while. Every time we go to my favorite baby/kid store in Austin, GaGa, Lola plays with it the whole time so I know she loves it too.

Now, what I would really love is for Clay to design and build her a groovy dollhouse but I'm not sure he has time on his hands to dedicate to this! In the meantime, I'll keep searching for the perfect dollhouse for Lo Bear!

Who knew the "enamored by..." theme could go in so many different directions!?!?!? I'M LLOOOVING IT!

A Must Have!

It's been a while since I've posted anything fashion related. It's probably because at this point, I'm only throwing on the same dresses over and over and rarely even add accessories due to the extreme heat. To be honest, until yesterday (I had a lunch meeting), it had been weeks since I even put on make-up. I guess I'm going with the "all natural" look this summer...is this still a trend??? If so, I'm right on!

Earlier this week my two favorite catalogs and favorite fashion magazine came in...Free People, Anthropologie and Elle. I still had a hard time really getting excited over anything (although it is all fabulous) as it's all Fall stuff and I just can't bring myself to get even remotely excited and inspired by Fall wear....maybe it's because it will be at least November before we can start wearing any of it?!?!?! The good news about my daily dresses I'm wearing now is they're all dresses I love and I want to transition them into the Fall. So when I came across this pair of boots, they immediately caught my eye and I thought "I MUST HAVE!".

Ancient Inklings Boots

I was absolutely obsessed with boots last Fall/Winter and feel I will be obsessed again this year. Even when I think of the dresses I'm throwing on every day....These boots would be great with all of them. So, although we'll likely still be dealing with very warm weather in October, they could help me transition some of my Summer dresses into Fall wear. SO EXCITED!!! Oh, but wait....I first have to figure out how to afford them...hmmmm!!!! Maybe an early Christmas gift??!?!?

Speaking of boots....

I got these last year from Anthro (an early Christmas gift) and literally wore them EVERY DAY last Fall/Winter and through the Spring. I was heartbroken when I finally had to put them away in late May. I'm still loving them and they will absolutely be in the mix again for this Fall/Winter. You can tell I wore the hell out of them and their also nice and dusty...must have been a concert or something...I'm kind of liking the dusty look...blends in perfectly with my dusty floor!

Anyway, hopefully I can start getting inspired by Fall looks soon but if not, I guess I have my boots!

P.S. It's only 6:15 a.m. and I've already received a Instant Message and a phone call for work...craziness!!!

Play Me, I'm Yours

Back in April, when you went around town, you would notice pianos placed randomly on the streets of Austin. This was a public art display which was part of the “Play Me, I’m Yours” exhibition by artist Luke Jerram which was sponsored by the Art Alliance Austin. It's an international tour which started 2008 (ends September 2011 in Tilburg Netherlands) where 400 pianos were installed in cities across the globe, from New York to Sydney. There was nothing better than taking a jog across the pedestrian bridge at the lake at 6:30 a.m. and coming across someone playing the piano. I loved it and wish it was back. There is a new art exhibit out there now for us Austinites which I'll post shortly but in the meantime, here are some pics from around town of the fabulous "Play Me, I'm Yours" exhibit:

Photography by Peter Tsai.

Gotta love Austin! REALLY....you gotta!