wool dryer balls

Have you ever heard of using wool felt balls in place of dryer sheets? I am intrigued by the concept. They say you can use the same one for years...

a little bit of random

Last week I tried Haagen Dazs' raspberry sorbet. It was amazing. Since we Texans will still be hovering around 90 I think this weekend calls for some more sorbet.

one word challenge

My friend Martha gave me a one word blogging challenge: chartreuse. Here is the best of what I found.

via neiman marcus, curlin reed sullivan, love and laughter, bellewood gardens, paloetic, the modern pillow

pinterest

Last week I decided to take the plunge and see what pinterest is all about. I have to say I love it. My boards are far from full but you can see what I have been 'pinning' here (I think). Here are some pins I have loved.

a mobile

garland

Chalkboard place mats

via Morgan Maler, Elmarie Giles, and unknown

iphone cases

I really, really want an iPhone. I hope that the new version comes out in September so I can finally get one. My dream phone has one of these covers...

Kate Spade via Amazon

Pencil Shavings

and some more Kate Spade

the monogram

As my friend Martha says, monograms are a staple of East Coast prep. I like a good, well placed monogram. The questions is where is the line to monogram overload?


Shower curtains are toeing the line.

Pillows? I think they are fine.

Personally, I like monogrammed totes.

I think it is safe to say monogrammed valances is past that line.

So what do you think, how much is too much?
via fabulous k, project shannon, js monograms, 3bs, daily cup of couture,

iphone case

I love these iPhone cases from Pencil Shavings. When I become fancy and get an iPhone, I want one of these to top it off...

r.i.p.

Remember the days where the Razr and Chocolate were the phones to get? When phones that had a camera were the bees knees? I have to get a new phone since we are switching mobile carriers, I was really hoping for Razr or Chocolate type phone. You know, the kind that calls and texts? Those days are gone.

Verizon and AT&T stores don't even put non-smartphones out on the floor anymore. They have all been thrown in a bucket and sent to the back room. And those dinosaurs you find in the bucket? They resemble my very first cell phone, bulky and gray. No more sleek and colorful phones. I am forced to enter the app seeking ranks of my generation. Though I will put it off until the iPhone 5 comes out, so take that Verizon!

R.I.P. regular cell phones.

a splash of color

Here are some random bits of color I have found over the web...

I love this statement necklace, I think it definitely qualifies as a splash of color.

The only thing I really like in this room is the green island.

This yellow dresser is gorgeous, I think my little sister would love something like that.

Last but not least, the blue wall...

via Etsy and House Beautiful

the end of the week

I love these yellow, white and green flowers. My little sister is using this color combination for her wedding so I have been pouring over different bouquets for inspiration.

I love this illustration by Ruth Sanderson. I did a guest post about her books on my big sister's blog A Window to the World.

I love the pop of yellow in this blue room.

And I love this old post on My Happy Little Life on the cycles of infertility. I can totally relate. I am all done with my current Doctor and researching and preparing to visit other doctor's around the US. Hopefully I can find one I feel more comfortable with. I have also been reading books and articles on infertility, they have me pondering a diet change to a more wholesome diet. By wholesome I mean more whole grains, fruits and veggies and less meat. I want to try to switch to organic meat at least, I figure I already have problems with the hormones in my body and the hormones they have me give my body, do I really need the hormones from my meat? I think this will take some more research. Anyway, over the next year I am going to see a couple different doctors and clinics to find one that I feel good about before we start IVF.

photos via house beautiful, ruth sanderson, christine olson photography

foot saver

I finally found it! My sister was given one of these years ago, it is similar to a pumice stone but it is sand paper that you use to help cracked heals. It is the best. My feet have been dying this winter so I started searching amazon and found one. My feet can't wait for it to arrive, it really is the best for cracked heels.

subway station

I saw an article on Yahoo! on a subway station in NYC that is no longer used but they have changed the routes so you can at least see it now. It is gorgeous, I wish I would have known about this three months ago...

world cup

via Black Eiffel

I love this World Cup image.

bag with a purpose

I read about Lauren Bush (niece of George W., granddaughter of George I) today and how she designs and sells these FEED bags.

They are pretty awesome, you can use them as a book bag, grocery bag etc. Included in the cost of the bag is a donation to help feed and educate poor children around the world.

it's the political scientist in me

I realize that this is a different type of post than what you usually see here. What can I say, it's who I am. I have engaged in a facebook debate today, something I generally try to avoid as they can get ugly fast (this one hasn't, yet). It irks me when the feminist movement is belittled and women's rights are brushed aside as irrelevant.

I am proud of the feminist movement and proud to call myself a feminist. I believe that I should be eligible to the same pay scale as a man, I believe that I should have the right to vote, and yes I do believe that I should have the right to choose whether I want to work or stay at home with children. These are the building blocks that the feminist movement is built on and I am thankful for the women who pushed the social envelope to give me these rights, it couldn't have been easy.

chickens

It seems as though keeping your own chickens (as in building a chicken coop and raising chickens) is a growing trend. Off the top of my head I can think of at least five people who keep (or will soon be keeping) their own chickens: examples here and here. There is a whole "homesteader" movement that I have been completely oblivious to. I like the idea of growing my own vegetables, herbs and and possible even canning, but chickens? It may have something to do with being a bird hater- really, I hate them. I fell down a flight of concrete stairs once in an attempt to avoid a bird.

Here is my question for all of you, to coop or not to coop?

ashley judd

I love that Ashley Judd loves her team (Kentucky) so much. Apparently she goes to ALL of their games.

weddings

via a cup of joe
I saw this post on A Cup of Joe about this couple's small wedding (38 people) and it got me to wondering. If I were to do my wedding over again would I do a large or small wedding? We had a large wedding (500 invites counts as large, right?) and I loved it. I loved everything about it, all our family, friends and neighbors all in my parent's gorgeous back yard and everyone dancing. It was fantastic. On the flip side, there is something to be said about an intimate wedding, you get to spend more time talking to the guests and you don't have to stand in line for hours saying hello to everyone. So my question for you is big or small?

vancouver

via meteo world
I love the Olympics. I can't wait for the women's figure skating to start and the Alpine skiing. Have you been watching the Olympics?

via zimbio

perfume

I am not a huge perfume fan. I don't like the musky smell of most of them. I found my favorite in high school and I have stuck to it, it is way cheap too. While visiting my sister over the holidays I sampled one of her perfumes, ironically her least favorite. It grew on me. Juicy Couture by Juicy Couture. Not an original name but it smells good.