Perfect, just perfect

I think we've all seen the woman who lives in this home.  She wears creamy silk blouses that are never rumpled or dirty and glides around in heels everywhere, even to the grocery store.  Her hair is perfectly coiffed and she never has chipped nails.  Her children, the twins, have impeccable manners and are dressed like mini adults.  They play gently together and don't ever make any noise.  The family dogs, which are always large, elegant purebreds, never jump up on people and don't smell or have accidents inside.  Personally I love a little mess and chaos.  Life isn't ever complete without a little crazy, but one can get away and pretend that she has a perfect life in this house every once in awhile.

This is the life

via here

After a productive and constructive morning meeting

A quick afternoon work session

And then sunbathing by the salt water pool

We grilled out in the evening and swam some more.

This is the life I've been waiting for that has evaded me for years.  This is the experience that people look forward to when they retire.  And I get it now.  Aren't I lucky?

Lake wedding guest style

I love that the majority of the weddings that I've been to with Frenchie have been lake weddings.  There's something so deeply serene and earthly about having a natural water element close by and it obviously presents some beautiful photo ops for the wedding party and guests.  Frenchie and I are attending a wedding of two close friends in late May at Lake Tahoe and I've been having a bit of a problem finding a dress.  Okay, honestly, I've been scouring the internets for a dress since October of last year.  Those of you who have followed me long enough know that this is not a new problem for me and a borderline obsession, however I think I have my dresses narrowed to four budget-friendly selections from Asos.

So the genesis of the above question is really around the fact that I chose the bright orange and purple "Texas Bold" dresses and one of my longtime NYC girlfriends picked out the cream and blue "New York City Chic" dresses.  I'd like for you readers to share with me which one you would prefer and which one you think I should wear.  Also have any of you shopped at Asos before and <crosses fingers> was it a good experience?

PS - A big muchas gracias to Erin at Like / Want / Need for a wonderfully easy to understand and follow photoshop tutorial.  This is my first foray into photoshop.  What do y'all think?

Photo credit: Lake, Dresses

My hands hurt so good

via here

I'm gonna keep this post pretty short because it literally hurts to type.  Tonight we feasted at Crawfish and Beignets, a sparse little joint in Chinatown (apparently it hasn't served beignets since it opened; they aren't even on the menu).  But boy does this place definitely serve crawfish.  I've only had mudbugs one time prior to tonight this 2012 season but we really made it count this evening.  Two pounds of crawdad each, a ton of Shiner and a whole mess of hotness later, my hands are still stinging painfully from the tiny little cuts that peeling the crawfish inflicts and the spicy goodness they were cooked in.  Spicy as in nose dripping, eyes watering, lips tingling, sweating spiciness.  It's a hotter-than-hell reminder NOT to touch anywhere on my face and I dread taking out my contacts later.

Small price to pay when you're eating these little crustaceans but next time, I may take a tip from the waitresses and wear latex gloves.

Spring has sprung cottage

This is a 1935 home that has been reimagined by an artist, which will be quite evident as you scroll through the photographs.  The landscaping in the front yard is storybook perfect, like something you expect out of a fairytale.  The current owners have reshuffled the home so that the sitting room is split in two by the dining room, which are open to the kitchen.  The old formal dining room and formal sitting room have been turned into a breakfast room and a morning room*.  So there is lots of room for dinner parties with intimate and separate dining tables.  And just when you think this home is going to be another blank canvas, the staircases, den and landings throw you for a loop.  It's rich chocolatey frosting on top of a fluffy white cake.  And the back patio is just out of this country.

I think I could spend spring inside and outside this house.  What about you?

*A morning room has been described as a casual family dining room.

Swamp people

Frenchie, his parents and I went to Brazos Bend State Park on a breezy Saturday afternoon to see alligators.  And we saw lots of gators in their own habitat.  Without a fence.  There are a few walking, hiking and biking trails that circled the lakes in the area and the gators would just be sunning themselves on the banks, right by the trails.  Warning signs say to stay at least 30 feet away from the gators but people would test their nerve, inching closer to get a better shot.

Frenchie's mom almost stepped on a snake at the second lake so we quickly left the area soon after.  Still, a wonderful and unique way to spend a day in Houston and also get some exercise in.

Pina colada cake and Proteas

So, here goes my first recipe post.  Due to popular request, this is the pina colada cake that I made yesterday.  It is probably the easiest cake that you'll ever make and if I can do it, anyone can.  Sorry about my poor picture taking abilities.  I am working on them so I can show off some better pictures for you guys on this blog.

Pina colada cake
Adapted from 101 Things To Do With a Cake Mix

Ingredients:
1 Box of yellow cake mix (and the ingredients required to bake the cake mix)
1 Can of crushed pineapple, drained
1 Can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk
8 Ounces of heavy whipping cream
1/3 Cup of dried, shredded coconut

Make the cake mix following the directions on the package.  Then mix half of the can of pineapple into the batter.  Bake according to the directions on the package.  I chose to bake mine in a 9 x 13 pan but you can bake yours however you please.

With a fork, poke holes in the warm cake at one-inch intervals.  Pour the entire can of sweetened condensed milk (YUM) evenly over the entire cake.  Allow cake to cool.  I put my cake in the fridge to cool, as I baked it in the morning.

Beat 8 ounces of heavy whipping cream until stiff.  Spread the whipped topping over the cake.  Sprinkle the top with shredded coconut and remaining crushed pineapple.  Serve cold.  See, I told you, incredibly easy!

Also, I took some more pictures of the proteas I received (thanks for helping me figure it out guys).  Are these not the most alien looking flowers you've ever seen?

Tuckered out

Man, I am POOPED.  Tonight, I cooked for Frenchie and his parents.  They are in town for the week visiting and it was their first time over to our cohabitated space.  Gulp.

On the menu was coq au vin, which I've made before, as well as a pina colada cake, and luckily, it was a success.  The food and place passed the parental inspection.  Which is a really good thing because I am exhausted. I started cooking from the moment I woke up and didn't stop until they arrived.  Hovering over a Dutch oven and being splattered with hot bacon grease isn't exactly the perfect way to spend a bright, beautiful spring day but it was worth it.  I also spent the entire day cleaning up and doing laundry.  I feel like a real housewife.  Except for not like the reality tv show.  Because I don't think they do housework, do they?

Frenchie's parents also brought us this wonderful flower arrangement.  Does anyone know what the bulbous coral coloured flowers are?  They are so interesting looking and I've never seen anything like them before.

More later tomorrow folks.  Tonight I'm just going to get off my feet.

It comes full circle

by Julien Denoyer

There is a picture that I've received, just this week, of my uncle in a swimming pool.  His long white hair is wet and slick against his scalp and he doesn't have his glasses on, squinting in the sunlight.  My dad had sent me the email and in the subject line, he typed: Isn't that Grandma in the swimming pool?  And at first glance, I very nearly thought it was.  Same white hair and there's my grandma's face.  Except grandma is undergoing dialysis in Los Angeles and won't be swimming in the southeast Asian tropics.

It's funny how family members resemble each other at different ages.  In all of my baby pictures, I resemble my dad up to age 6.  He pulled out his childhood black and white photographs and there were the same eyes and nose, like a twin brother.  If my mom had cut all my hair off, we would have been the same person.  In my teenage years, I looked like my Aunt Lisa, his older sister, with the same bobbed black hair, round face and sharp, quick eyes.  These days, there isn't a close resemblance to anyone but I'm waiting to turn into my mom any day now, a role which has been played by my sister since she was born.  And to tell you the truth, I don't really mind turning into different family members and actually really like it.  It's a way of keeping my family close to me, every time I look in the mirror.

My kind of general store

I really would have liked to go to this.  And I'm missing it by only two weeks!  The Magasin General is a weekend pop up market at Fort Mason in San Francisco.  The next one is April 21st and there are tons of really cool shops that are participating, like Book/Shop.  So if you are in San Francisco and can attend, please check it out for me and take lots of pictures.  And snag some good loot.  Because this is what I would be buying.

PS - I am just in love with the way that Book/Shop sells furnishings that are focused on storing and displaying books.  Isn't that what a book shop should do?  Their specialty is books - shouldn't you want to sell the "book holders" in essence?  Just a thought about vertical integration.  But I digest (as Peter Griffin would say)...

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Light and bright

Today's home is a combination of old and new.  The home itself was built in 2008 but the beams and reclaimed wood are approximately 150 years old and Italian marble sinks and bathroom tiles are from the 18th and 19th century.  What's not to love about this home's bones?  High vaulted ceilings, wide plank wood floors, beautifully manicured outdoor living space and tall windows throughout.  Light is able to just come pouring in from every direction.

Again, this is another home with a lot of white, cream and beige but as this home is for sale, you can try and imagine different colours in each space.  I can imagine greys, blues and yellows throughout the shared living spaces.  How come it is only outdoors where you have greens and blues?  Bring 'em on in and we'll have a party.

A source of inspiration

The above is one of the prime examples of why I love the blogosphere.  Allyn of All Things Ami so kindly created this illustration of me AND for me, expressing all the inspiration that I derive from books and reading!  I only wish that my eyes and mouth were that cute in real life and my hair was always perfectly draped around my face.  I've mentioned time and time again how I've been impressed with the creativity as well as generosity of those bloggers that I have "met" and this original piece from Allyn is a perfect example of why I love blogging and the blogging community.  I look forward to the smiles that this illustration will charm out of people and am off to find a frame for it.  Thanks again Allyn!

I hope your weekends were full of such pleasant surprises as this!

Cussing up a storm

F***.  Sh**.  D***.  H***.

All my favourite four letter words.  And verbatim what spewed forth from my mouth last night after doing my tax returns (which will be a story for a different day).

But this leads to another topic.  I curse/cuss.  A good amount.  Not as much as say, Jenna Marbles, but a pretty healthy amount.  And in mixed company.*  I used to curse at work, a very male dominated environment, and it was acceptable there.  My nickname was Sailor Rooth and I have been known to go all "sailor" on someone's ass.  I don't have a limited vocabulary, it's just that I don't find words that express exactly what I feel at the time, except for those four letter words.  It's also, I think, a very efficient and succinct form of communication.

When frustrated, I've been known to curse even in front of family.  My mother always has a disappointed look on her face afterwards and asks me to "Act like a lady."  Which is hilarious because I don't do anything even remotely close to being ladylike, except for write thank you cards, which I am religious about.

People either feel pretty strongly one way or the other.  They're either okay with cussing or they're absolutely not.  And I feel like people either do it a lot or not at all.  Is your experience the same?  Also, do you curse a lot and why?

via this shop

*I don't cuss in front of children.  Because they pick it up like sponges and then I get in real trouble.