One Step Closer

With a week off from work, and a very helpful mother, I was able to complete a major house project, bringing me one step closer to my dream kitchen. Given that a complete kitchen redo isn't really in my budget right now, I have to work with what I've got. Last summer I painted the walls and backsplash in the kitchen. And this past week, I painted the cabinets and replaced the hardware. But, silly me forgot to take a 'Before' picture... so all you get is the lovely 'After'

Aside from painting, I spent some of my time off watching movies, amongst other things. I was anxious to finally see The Time Traveler's Wife. The novel, by Audrey Niffenegger, is my most favorite book out of the hundreds of books I've read. So my expectations of the film version were really high, and I was afraid that the characters in the movie wouldn't quite measure up to the characters in my head. In fact, this is the reason I never went to the theatre while the movie was showing. It felt like an extremely personal experience: getting to actually see Henry and Clare in person for the first time. I know, this all sounds so silly. But Henry and Clare are so special to me... second only to Rhett and Scarlett. (I guess this is what happens when you make a living reading books). Turns out, the movie was pretty good. I had to separate the book from the movie, and once I did, I enjoyed the movie from a purely entertaining standpoint. I still love the book a whole lot more, and if you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it. I also recommend taking a week off from work, to catch up on those pesky house projects, movies, books, and anything else that you're into. Such a treat!

My Sweet Birthday Girl

Here's how Frances spent her special day:

1) Woke up in my bed -- a treat she doesn't often get!

2) Went for a walk.

3) Was surprised by a special visitor, a.k.a. "grandma."

4) Opened and played with lots of new toys.

5) Took a couple of naps.

6) Ate rabbit for dinner. Yes, rabbit.

7) Got a birthday bath.

8) Snuggled on the couch between two of her favorite people.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Frances Valentina!

A Week in the Life

Yes, I'm still here. I've been busy...

... meeting for coffee,

... baking Banana Bran muffins,

... and trying to get Frances to pose for a birthday picture to send to her brothers. Still working on that one.

Winter's Back

Oh, hello snow. We forgot all about you.

Welcome back.

I Did

To know me is to know that I love weddings. Attending them. Talking about them. Reading about them. Thinking about them. Hearing about them. I think my obsession interest started back in high school, when my mom and I discovered A Wedding Story on the TLC channel. Everyday, we would settle in for thirty minutes of pleasure -- critiquing, laughing, and sometimes even crying. Since then, I've been a guest at numerous weddings, been in five weddings, almost planned one wedding, been a subscriber to Martha Stewart Weddings, and dished about weddings as all my friends around me have planned their own. So it should come as no surprise that when WellWed New York, one of my favorite wedding publications, throws a bridal event right here in Rochester, I'm going to go.

Yes, I did. I went to a bridal event. Meant for brides. Which I am not. But I shamelessly put on an heirloom diamond ring and had a ball. For four hours, I played the part of fiancée-planning-a-wedding, took all the freebies, and loved every minute of it.

Tuxedoed doormen greeted me, along with an obvious feminine/vintage vibe.

Right off the bat, I knew I was going to love this. Here's what I spent four hours doing: walking from vendor to vendor, collecting pamphlets, business cards and freebies, (the wedding cake vendors were my favorite! free samples!) sipping champagne, nibbling hors d'oeuvres, admiring floral arrangements/tabletops/diamonds, partaking in a food and wine pairing, listening to live music, and watching a couture wedding fashion show.

Definitely not a bad way to spend a Saturday evening. The only downside? All the cute guys were taken... and they thought I was, too.

Grand Opening

Whenever I take a trip, I always check ahead to see if my destination has: 1) Anthropologie; 2) Crate & Barrel; or 3) Sur La Table. These stores are some of my most favorite stores to poke around in, and until yesterday, Western New York was without any of the three. But that has all changed with the grand opening of Anthropologie in Eastview Mall!

And what better way to start a 3-day weekend than pay a visit to retail heaven?

My friend, Hannah, and I admired all the lovely clothes.

But what I really enjoy about Anthropologie are the pretty displays...

... and even prettier kitchenware.

But my most favorite thing of all at Anthropologie are their kitchen linens. So sweet!

To commemorate our first trip to our very own Anthropologie, Hannah bought herself an apron and I bought myself a tea towel. And pinched myself, again and again, because now there's an Anthropologie within a 25-minute drive from my house!

Cabin Fever

This past week has been extremely wintery here in Western New York. With about two feet of snow at our house and low, low temps, Frances and I have not done a lot of venturing outdoors. But that changed today, when the sun shone nice and bright, and the thermometer read 25 degrees. We bundled up and headed to our favorite trail, less than 3 miles away, for some cold weather hiking. The scene that greeted us was spectacular.

Obviously, others had the same idea. It is not unusual to see dogs, cross-country skiers and snowshoers here. Today, we were even joined by deer.

Immediately after I snapped this picture, four does ran across our path. It was a beautiful sight, but I didn't think quick enough to get a photo.

Later on we caught up to some snowshoers.

Frances loves to lead the way.

And hates it when she has to wait for me!

It was a great way to spend a sunny, winter Sunday.