a little holiday cheer

Here's a bitty little tree I made for Andrew & me. 

All of the ornaments came from Target! There are little mushrooms and music notes everywhere. 

It now has a few more presents taking up space, but that's not 

such as bad problem to have,

is it? :)

How perfect is this? I saw it at Barnes & Noble and as soon as I saw the red velvets 

on the cover, I was sold. I'm a little over the moon for 

red velvet anything. 

I can't wait for him to open his gifts! It's going to be great. 

My friends know me so well!

And a message for everyone before Christmas:

Thank you for reading. You all are fantastic and give me motivation to keep posting. I love

each one of you. I hope you have the merriest holiday possible!

xoxo

the reunion

After over a year of separation, never being in the same zip code, and only communicating via phone, I am beyond happy to report that one of my best friends in the world, Lindsay, and I reunited!

I made the trek westward last weekend and nothing could have prepared me for the ridiculous joy of the collective shrieking that greeted me when the door opened. 

It's like we never separated. We made sangria, watched movies, and picked up right where we left off. 

Gift exchanges and family meals and catching up. My weekend was fabulous. 

To me, that's what makes a true friendship. One that doesn't skip a beat. Distance doesn't stop a real friendship, but distance does make the heart grow fonder. 

I am so happy. 

  

ain't that pinteresting...

hi, all! here is a quick little mix of some lovely things i've found on Pinterest...

 

for the homestead:

 

 

homemade flowers for curtains

 

 

 

a weathered wood chevron table

 

 

floor cushions

 

 

yellow washi tape

 

for the closet

 

 

lace and a trench coat

 

 

mint and neutral

 

 

oversized aztec

 

 

gold buttons

 

for the jewelry box

 

 

above-the-knuckle gold rings

 

 

"pack your trunks" earrings

 

 

 

jackie o ray-ban glasses

 

 

rose gold ampersand necklace

 

for your feet

 

 

oxford lace-up heels

 

 

 

two-tone asymmetrical flats

 

 

anthropologie mary janes

 

 

knee high fall boots

 

and just for fun...

 

 

 

the history of art

 

british rebellion

 

 

 

lionel richie

 

 

my new best friend.

 

 

iPhone diary- weekend edition

 

this weekend was sure a busy one. 

 

Andrew's band played a mini-show, where I met this darling little five year old (above.) She officially declared me as her best friend.

 

Favorite season is in full swing.

 

 

On Sunday, we trekked a few hours westward for his neice's birthday party. (Also: you see that giant stuffed rabbit staring menacingly at me from the back seat? Some bunny is watching you...)

 

 

Hanging with the family. I'm clutching a waterbottle because it was actually warmer than the air outside. It's using your resources.

 

 

And THIS, my friends, is the world's hottest pepper. Named Bhut Jolokia, aka "The Ghost Chile," it is a native of India and has been officially deemed the world's hottest pepper by the Guinness Book of World Records. Andrew's brother came across some and let us take one home. We've watched many YouTube videos to see the reactions, and let me tell you, they are scary. Terrifying, even. But we tasted small, microscopic slivers of the skin and you FEEL it! Apparently, the burn intensifies as time goes on, and lasts for over an hour. We're going to try big-boy bites soon. I'll provide you with plenty of documentation of the hilarity (and horror) when Whitney & Andrew take the ghost chile challenge!

 

Are we insane?

 

Probably.

girlish nonsense

I have a confession: I almost never read my e-mail for my blog-linked e-mail account. Most of it is from Twitter and Daytrotter, and though I love you both, I don't pay much attention. So today, in the sea of Twitter-Daytrotter-Twitter-Gap-Twitter subject lines, I was no less than stunned to see the subject heading "blog request!"

I have never gotten an e-mail from a reader. Frankly, I didn't think I had any readers at all. But just as my hope of receiving a reader's message finally faded, I found one from about 3 weeks ago (remember: I never check that account.) I won't spill the message verbatim, but I was so incredibly touched by this reader in Canada. She said very sweet things, but asked if I would do a post about my make-up routine. I never considered donig one of these. I have no problem with other bloggers doing so; in fact, I love reading those posts. But this kind Canadian reader asked for honest opinions about what I use, like, would promote, and would toss. So why not! I mean, I like make-up. I use it. And as my first (and probably final) request, I figure I should honor her wishes.

FACE:

For starters, I use Origins Stay Tuned foundation. From what research I've done, it's vegan & cruelty-free (but someone e-mail me if otherwise!) It's also full-coverage without being cakey. Because, I'm sorry, cakey face is disgusting on everyone.

I then use Bare Minerals Matte SPF 15 foundation powder. I apply it sparingly and lightly. It stays on longer than the regular foundation powder, but since it's matte, too much is a bad thing.

To apply the Bare Minerals, I use Alicia Silverstone's EcoTools make-up brush. I got the kit at Target, and it is 100% animal hair and cruelty free. Not only that, but they're fantastic brushes.

For cheeks, I like Beauty Without Cruelty's Satin Finish Blusher in Rosetta. You can order it on Amazon for under $8.

ps: Rosetta  is a great year-round shade. Always peachy.

EYES:

I start with MAC Painterly Pot to prime for shadow. You can use so little and get so much from it.

 I like to stick with neutrals and browns on the eyes. Some of lid favorites are MAC's Phloof and Urban Decay's Cherry. 



Cherry

For the crease, I use MAC's Mulch or Urban Decay's Darkhorse. Both are brown with a little shimmer.



For the brow bone, I use a non-shimmer cream color, like Urban Decay's Foxy.



My go-to eyeliner is always a black/kohl. Tarte has a fantastic vegan liner: Aqua-Gel Liner in black. 



And for mascara, I LOVE Urban Decay's Lush Lash Mascara. 



I use all vegan products (as you probably guessed), but I also pick these for quality. All of the above are great quality, and you will get your money's worth.

I hope you enjoyed this! 



cat bounce

this little surprise was waiting on my Blogger dashboard. courtesty of a cup of jo, I would love to present you with CAT BOUNCE.

 

 

I'm not a crazy cat lady (at least, not yet.) but there is something that makes me laugh about this recent cat humor phenomenon. and cat bounce is no exception. 



iPhone diary

hello! here is a little hodge-podge of the happenings around here from the past week...

above: the mister & I trekked to Asheville, North Carolina last weekend.

North Carolina in autumn.

if you ever find yourself in this city, PLEASE stop by Laughing Seed on Wall Street.

I dove into some vegan pakoras.

yum.

above: Andrew makes a ridiculous pesto pizza. so I let him to the hard stuff (like, you know, cooking)

while I played with dipkin on the floor.

can you love a hamster? because I sure do.

above: there is nearly nothing better than my best friend, Janie, coming home. imagine my surprise, upon pulling into her driveway, to see a giant purple cow (below).  

 

I've grown really attached to the new house guest.

above: he's a peach.

and last but not least, from my sister-in-law's instagram, my youngest nephew starring in the cutest

fall photo you will see all season...

Baby Q, you are a doll!

au revoir!