FUN NEW FINDS

Its been awhile since I shared some fun new discoveries with you all.

I am working hard to give up Diet Coke.  Instead of cola.  I drink lots of water, sparkling in particular.  Well...last time I was at Nordstrom's cafe I discovered their Sparkling Cooler (mix of tea/lemonade/club soda).  Oh my...so refreshing and tasty.  I mix together equal parts of Crystal Light iced tea, Crystal Light lemonade and water.  Fill a glass with half of the Crystal Light mixture and half club soda and you will have a fabulous new summer drink.  Don't forget a pretty glass and straw.

As I shared with you recently I have been spending the majority of my time this summer sprucing up our home.  Two fun wall decorations I am considering are:
Plate wall art which just makes me happy to look at:

Mirror groupings really can add so much in design and texture to a room:

 

I have been listening to  podcasts (most from the Diana Rehm show) via NPR's website.  See I really do more than follow Suri's blog,  watch reality television and read People and Us Weekly. This link is to an interview with Chris Bohjalian (a favorite author) about his new book:

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-07-09/chris-bohjalian-close-your-eyes-hold-hands

I want to hear all about your summer and the fun activities that have occupied your time.  Please tell all of us about a great book you are reading,  a trip you are planning or a wonderful day spent with friends and/or family.  I cannot believe its mid July already.  So in the remaining weeks I plan to visit the beach, lunch again on the beautiful patio at Brewsters in New Buffalo, attend as many outdoor concerts as possible, finish painting the downstairs rooms in our home and lounge with my LARGE stack of magazines on the deck.

FRIDAY FANCIES

Hello all, have some wonderful media suggestions for you:

My husband and I went to a fabulous movie this afternoon.  I highly recommend it.  At the conclusion the entire audience clapped. When was the last time you saw that happen in a movie theater?

Have you heard of the documentary 112 Weddings?  It is also fabulous.  A wedding videographer re-visits couples years after their wedding to see how their lives and marriages have played out.  The link I have shared is to a trailer for this HBO documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4A07vLA-dI&feature=kp

For some reason I resisted watching the DVD "Saving Mr. Banks."  I cannot  tell you why,  perhaps because I thought is would be a silly story about Mary Poppins.  Yes, it is about Mary Poppins but it definitely is not silly.  I have linked below to an online review site:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/saving_mr_banks_2013/

I enjoy listening to books on CD while driving, especially when I will be in the car for a few hours.  I am currently listening to Mindy Kalings book "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?" and it is beyond hilarious:

What have you read and/or watched lately that you enjoyed?  Please share your recommendations in the comments section below.

FRIDAY FANCIES

Love this chocolate brown maxi dress from Anthropologie.  Have you noticed how difficult it is find clothing in a true brown?

I NEED, WANT, DESIRE, HAVE TO OWN this darling lampshade (when it goes on a 50% off sale, that is, please please Anthropologie, make this happen).  Seriously isn't this just the cutest, happiest little shade you have ever seen???

Love this Kate Spade dress for someone (not me, that is for sure).  It would be adorable for a rehearsal dinner or fancy party:

Thank you Kate Spade for this fabulous thought:

I'M BACK for LINK LOVE

No excuses, life has been busy and blogging has not been at the top of my priority list this summer.  However I realize I miss it and so..... here we go ..........again...........................

I think the debate will go on forever:
http://m.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/07/why-pepsico-ceo-indra-k-nooyi-cant-have-it-all/373750/

Lets drop the topic of guilt and instead focus on happiness:
http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/7-things-remarkably-happy-people-do-more.html

Getting ready for a serious closet clean out and this article helped me decide what stays and what goes:
http://www.wardrobeoxygen.com/2014/04/how-to-look-current-fashion-trends-to-keep-or-retire-for-2014.html

I have been focused on sprucing up our home the past few months.  Enjoyed this post from one of my favorite blogs:  http://www.apartmenttherapy.com
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/simple-ways-to-make-your-home-a-haven-202024

LINK LOVE

After A While

Author: Veronica A. Shoffstall

After a while you learn the subtle difference

Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning 

And company doesn’t mean security,

And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts

And presents aren’t promises.

And you begin to accept your defeats

With your head up and your eyes open

With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.

And you learn to build all your roads on today,

Because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans,

And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn

That even sunshine burns if you get too much.

So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,

Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure,

That you really are strong,

And you really do have worth.

And you learn and learn,

With every goodbye you learn.

Now ...for a bit of fashion link love (which is the reason for this blog but always happy to throw in some life thoughts too):

http://fortyplusstyle.myprivatestylist.com/blog/dynamic-diagonals/?utm_content=buffer4aaeb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer  

Love this blogger's use of color in her wardrobe:

http://www.akeytothearmoire.com/tagged/Pink 

What are your favorite blogs?  I love blogs and learn so much from the 10 or 15 (cough cough....a few more than that perhaps) on my list of daily reads

CLOSET CLEANOUT PART 1

Why is it so difficult to clean out my closet and purge items I no longer wear, are no longer in style, not flattering and/or no longer fit?  Is there a sentimental attachment to some of the clothes?  After college I desperately wanted a DVF wrap dress but on a social worker's salary that dream was not going to happen.  So guess what?  I bought the pattern, purchased her fabric and made two wrap dresses.  I loved them, the man I was seeing (my current husband of 30 plus years...I say current to tease him a bit,  a private joke between the the 2 of us).   LOVED those dresses too.  He  often left notes on my desk with sweet compliments.  Another dress with wonderful memories is a long red dress I wore to an office Christmas party. That red dress made me feel wonderful.  OK, that is a grand total of 3 ..why do I have all the other junk hanging in there?  No attachment to an awful velvet dress I purchased at the  last minute for a New Years Eve party after discovering what I had planned to wear was not going to work.  No special memories of the many items I purchased due to the great price but also knowing as I  pulled out my credit card that they were not the smartest purchases.  I think I often heard my mother in the background whispering in my ear "save it, someday you will need that  __ __ __ (fill in the blank; coat, sweater, skirt...etc etc)."

When one's closet is overflowing, you often cannot see the jewels that are in there.  I think writing this post has helped me understand that part of my reluctance to purge clothes is because I am then forced to face up to some unpleasant truths:  1.  The money I wasted on clothes that were never flattering and barely worn  2.  Some items just don't fit anymore and I don't see me wearing them in the foreseeable future.  3.  What if I "need" those clothes  tomorrow or next week/month/year and they are ..GONE...  4. Can I trust myself to make better decisions in future purchases?

Do you also have a closet  full of items that need to BE GONE???  If you have also wrestled with this dilemma and found a way to deal with 'Clothing Overload' please share with us your success stories in the comments section below.  Next week I will share with you  in a Closet Cleanout Part 2 post some of the strategies that I have used ; both the hits and misses.

FRIDAY FANCIES

Who doesn't love to have a nice coffee table book to browse through?  Some fun recommendations below.  I am especially drawn to  #8, #20 and #24.  Have been in a huge redecorating frame of mind past few weeks:
http://www.elementsofstyleblog.com/2014/05/24-great-coffee-table-books.html

 

I need another scarf like I need a _ _ _ _ _ (please fill in the blank and BE CREATIVE) so of course have put this on my Anthropologie wish list.  If it gets a 75% price cut it WILL be mine:

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/31108343.jsp#/

 

 

As I confessed earlier in this post I am busy choosing paint colors, searching for a new coffee table, etc etc...love Home and Garden Television Magazine for design ideas:
https://subscribe.hearstmags.com/circulation/hgtvmagazine/images/hgt_cvr-reg.jpg

Speaking of home design/redecorating I have several new blogs (new to me) that I am enjoying:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

http://theinspiredroom.net/

http://honeyandfitz.com/


Hope you all have some fun weekend plans on this beautiful holiday weekend.  We are enjoying the fabulous weather (FINALLY...I barely leave the deck as I am afraid the sun will disappear) and also treating ourselves to a quick day trip to Chicago to listen to some New Orleans Jazz while sipping wine...feeling very fortunate for all the wonderful people and experiences in my life.