I Want It... But, Should I Buy It?

I'm not sure if I've officially mentioned it on here, but I am moving to Sunnyvale, Ca. in May/June/July 2010 time frame. Now, this is incredibly exciting news, but it also makes things a bit difficult when I have to think about what furniture I buy. Not just for the moving aspect, but I am planning on seriously downsizing.

I currently have a two bedroom, one and a half bath townhouse and I am leaning toward renting out a space in a house in California. One, so I can have some roommates, and also so I can save some money... I would like to actually be able to afford weekend trips around the west coast. :)

So, the problem of this situation: my style isn't exactly reflected by the mix of furniture I currently own, so I constantly want to invest in these awesome pieces, but know I either can't afford it or won't have space for it in a few months.

Like this beautiful armoire I found on House of Turquoise (an amazing blog that is like a breath of fresh air with amazing color palettes):


I am absolutely in love with the circles! I've never seen anything like it. Modern, but not overwhelming.

Girl Crushes

All right. You know you have them too (or guy crushes, whatever the case), but a complete admiration for a person of the same sex. It could be purely physical, or based heavily on intelligence, beliefs or achievements. Nonetheless, fess up and share. Embrace it!

Here are a few that grace my list:

Emma Watson - Potential
I'm interested to see what she does with her career (and fashion) as she moves on after HP.

Reese Witherspoon - Charisma
This woman's charm and overall manners are something I deeply respect and admire. Every woman should recognize and look to at least one other person who just seems to ooze the word "ladylike."

Rachel McAdams - Talent
Two words: The Notebook. Have you seen it?! Oh goodness, I was sobbing like nobodies business. Can't wait to see The Time Traveler's Wife!!

Evangeline Lilly - Gorgeous
So not only is she beautiful, but she claims to have been a total nerd and outcast in high school; makes me love her even more. Plus, I'm absolutely addicted to Lost.

Kate Winslet - Everything!
Oh, Kate. I Love Her! I mean, come on, have you SEEN her acceptance speeches from this year?? If not, please watch them... it will all come together. She is simply remarkable. So deserving and so genuine.
Revolutionary Road - Golden Globes
The Reader - Oscars

The Good Kind of Mail

I'm not sure about you, but it pretty much makes my day when I get home and my mailbox is full of goodies.

What type of goodies? Well, for starters the Fall Fashion issue of InStyle (which is a whooping 515 pages!!!! SO EXCITED! Especially since I just left my gigundo issue of Harper's Bazaar at home... enjoy Jess).

And, I loved Anthro before, but check this out! Super cute!

Awesome, right?!

But, more importantly (on an entirely different scale), these guys always always always make me smile.

Nothing's quite as good as when it's homemade! Thanks, Mom!

Long Days and Short Nights

Sorry about the delay, the past couple weeks I've either been on travel or just too preoccupied with some family health issues... I'll be driving 5 hrs to go home for the next couple weekends, so I apologize in advance for any future disappearances.

So, what's been keeping me sane? Loads of the usual, here is a smattering of the sort:

Music:

Kings of Leon

Blog Stalking:

Urban Grace Interiors

Screen Shopping:

Anthropologie

Dream Kitchen

House Beautiful

This kitchen is beyond my wildest dreams! It is the perfect marriage of amazing appliances, grandma's classic pots and pans, and just the right amount of minimalistic design. It's perfect, but still looks like home. Plus, I absolutely adore white kitchens, they are so inviting and fresh.


A key for me is pairing white cabinets with a lighter color marble or granite. I'm not a fan of nice crisp white/creme cabinets and near-black / navy counter tops... there are always exceptions, but I prefer to continue the color floor to ceiling with pops of color that bring the room to life and give it character.

In this kitchen there's a balance of natural wood, copper / steel and the color white. It's a great mesh of all different textures that touch just about every design possible for a kitchen. Ugh, I want it! Now, all I need is a house...

I could see this kitchen in an amazing brownstone, no?!

Top 10 List

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

I have been blessed to see some of the most amazing cities, parks and monuments in the country and a few in Europe. My parents placed such an importance of exposing my older sister, Jessica, and I to different cultures and I couldn't thank them enough! My childhood summers were riddled with two-week vacations "out West" (i.e. Colorado, Montana, Wyoming) to see some of the most beautiful scenery and learn about intriguing cultures (from cowboys to Native Americans). Then, during college, I studied abroad in Rome, Italy and saw some of the most amazing things in England, Spain and Italy (not the end-all-be-all, but some good stuff)

The following is a list of some of my top experiences and then a list of things on my to-do list!

(in no particular order)
1) Seeing the Grand Canyon (we stayed at the National Park on the North Side, so beautiful)
2) Snowshoeing in Grand Teton National Park (this Park will always be one of my most favorite places in the entire world)
3) Running from a sand storm at Monument Valley (so glad we were at our cars when it finally hit! We had no clue what it was when we first saw it on the horizon)
4) Taking a sleigh ride (bells and thick blankets included) through an elk herd (I think this was in Grand Teton Nat'l Park as well)
5) Eating breakfast with my Mom and sister overlooking the Amalfi Coast (big fan of Furore, we stayed at the most adorable Bed and Breakfast there... where some couples took it to a whole new level next door, needless to say we were crying we were laughing so hard)
6) Taking a culinary tour through Barcelona with Melissa... and then eating about half of all appetizers for the group :) yum
7) Touring the Vatican and sneaking some pictures of the famous ceiling and then touching the Pope... no really he was right in front of us
8) Seeing London from the river with the River Thames Tour ending at the London Tower with a lunch of the classic fish and chips
9) Eating a traditional Hawaiian breakfast of Banana pancakes with Macadamia syrup (it's white) and rice, eggs and sausage aka spam (DE-LISH! must follow with trip to North Beach or it's just not as yummy)
10) Attending Easter service at the Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, SC with my Dad during our Daddy and Daughter trip (I will live in Charleston or at least own a vacation house there one day!)

and now, for the future!

1) See the Pyramids in Egypt
2) Walk on the Great Wall of China
3) Snorkel/Scuba the Great Barrier Reef
4) Climb the Eiffel Tower
5) Overlook Athens from the steps of the Parthenon
6) Visit my "homeland" in Budapest, Hungary
7) Drive from castle to castle across the Irish countryside (my other "homeland")
8) Tour Prague
9) See the amazing architecture of St. Petersburg
10) Visit Switzerland, no particular city/town at this point, I just HAVE to see those Swiss Alps from the ground because they are breathtaking from the air

What's on your list?

Sundays are for Baking!

I realize this is Saturday, but I usually do my baking on Sundays, so the name of this post seemed more honest with the switch. And I will be doing more baking tomorrow, so it still works :)

The menu? A classic: Banana Bread!

I use this basic recipe and make it a bit more delicious by using 1/2 oats and 1/2 flour, substitute natural (no sugar) applesauce for butter, use only 1/2 cup of brown sugar, add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts and 1 tsp. of cinnamon and let me tell you... it's amazing!

In case you don't believe me:

YUM!