It's the simple things in life...

That make me happy.  Like a stocked fridge after two long weeks of takeout every.single.night...

 A very sad "Before"

Much better "Afters"

I hate Kate.

Don't get me wrong, I hate Kate Gosselin as much as the next guy, but watching her latest tragedy (DWTS) unfold makes me almost feel sorry for her. Almost.

TGIF.

It's Friday and my exhaustion level has reached previously unconscionable heights. This 9-5 thing is really tiring.  There's gotta be a better way to do things, right?
 
This is a kind of monumental weekend for me, in a personal sense.  I will be very relieved when it's all  over, to be honest.  More about that very soon.

Have a good one! 

Really?

I know it's not right to speak ill of the dead, but I just don't get the Alexander McQueen shoes from the Spring 2010 Collection.  These are exactly what people who bitch about fashion being "unattainable for the average woman" are talking about. I laugh every time I see them.  They're ridiculous.  They belong in a gallery, not on the runway.

As someone who works in the field of mental health, I am very sensitive to issues related to suicide, depression and all mental illness.  However, I've found that if you can't laugh, you just might cry.  So, let's laugh.

Mix it up

I have not always been a fan of mixing metals, but these days, I'm loving the idea.  Gorgeous, no?

Necklaces from The Glamourai.  

*Boo!  In the days since I wrote this post, the above necklace has sold.  :(

Speaking of hair

My reluctant photographer is in DC this week, so the hair tutorials will have to wait til next week.  Stay tuned!

Babies in wigs

As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing funnier than the idea of a baby in a wig.  Sometimes, randomly, an image of a baby wearing a wig will pop into my head and before I can stop myself, I've collapsed into hysterics.  A baby of my own is years away, but rest assured, as soon as Junior is here, he'll be sporting a wig of his own. 

Happy Monday!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  We sure did.  Spring skiing is my fave. My poor husband has to deal with a wife who refuses to carry her own skis, put on/buckle/remove her own ski boots and requires frequent snack breaks, but he's such a good sport that he tolerates it all.  I make up for it with a good apres ski cuddle.

It was nice to spend some quality time with him this weekend, since we've been so busy lately.  We were in the company of lots of fun people, so although it wasn't as  perfect as alone-time, it was just as fun.  There was lots of food, a number of impromptu dance parties, twister, finals basketball, hot tubbing and of course, skiing.

Happy weekend!

Off for a weekend of Spring skiing with 18 of the best friends I never knew I had. 
They are predicting temps of 60+ degrees in Vermont.  Should be an interesting weekend!
See you Monday, muffins!

Coming up

My hair is super long and out of control. I'm deep in the throes of growing out my bangs and I have no intention of cutting as much as one inch. 
Be on the lookout for tutorials for what to do with a head of unruly hair by yours truly.
(Forgive the amateur photos.  I took one myself and Mr. DD took the other and he doesn't have much patience for photos at 8am, so it was tough to get a good shot.)

Envelope, please...

The Le Creuset giveaway winner is Gigi!  Enjoy your dish and enjoy your dessert.

By the way, fabulous name, my dear.
Please send me your email address.

Hot. Fabulous. And busy.

If you're anything like me (see title of this post), and let's be honest... if you 're reading this blog, you probably are, you may not have had time to enter my giveaway just yet.  Hurry, hurry, hurry.
I pick a winner the moment I get home tonight.  Good luck, bunnies!

Twitter.

I returned home from literary society last night to find Mr. DD sitting at the computer with my Twitter page open.  He turned and grinned at me; "And you say I never read your blog!!"
A 20 minute explanation of Twitter ensued and I'm still not sure he gets it...

Current etsy obsession

I've decided that once I'm rich and famous (either for fabulous blogging or for curing Autism) there are a list of must-have's that will require immediate attention.  At the top of the list (right under "personal florist") is an in-house calligrapher to do things like address envelopes and transcribe grocery lists and crossword puzzles.  I wonder if Primele will take the job...

Tipped off here.

It's Monday...

You deserve a giggle.  I can't decide which I love more, the idea of the "stache" dog toy, or the bulldog himself.

Found here.  Available here.

Keg Design Giveaway!

Just came across this awesome giveaway.  Forget the messy chalkboard paint... just apply this 27.5" h x 22.6" w chalkboard sticker to your wall.
Enter here!

Don't forget.

It's Friday.

I'll cry if you don't enter my contest.

Photos by the always amazing, sometimes controversial Jill Greenberg

Don't I wish I lived here...

Gorgeous!!
This is where Juliet Totten, of Poppies and Posies, lives on the Upper West side New York City.  It's a brownstone apartment, featured on design*sponge.

More here.

PS: Here are the other wonderful things that Poppies and Posies do: 

 

This isn't the post where I bitch about my mother in law.

I arrived home this evening from a long, tiring first day of work to a message from my package room that there was a delivery for me.  Not only was I exhausted from the day, my butt was also sore.  See, this morning, I missed the last step as I left my building and I fell directly on my ass.  Luckily I wasn't hurt.  I was even able to laugh about it... but not as hard as my doorman.  After helping me up he pretty much became hysterical.  I mean, he literally couldn't stop laughing.  His face turned red and he snorted a few times.  I had to eventually intervene on my own behalf, "Yeah, ok, Frank.  It wasn't that funny...  No seriously.  Stop laughing.  Stop it!"  Not to mention this was the second fall I've taken this week.  The first taught me the valuable lesson that I need to either put that rubber stuff down under the new rug or stop taking the corners so fast... but, I digress.

 The stargazers on the left are from my hubs... cause that's how he rolls.

The point of the story is that my in-laws (read: my mother in law) sent me a gorgeous bouquet to celebrate my new job.  'Cause that's how she rolls.  I got so lucky in the in-law department and I'm sure of this because I have plenty of friends that didn't.  My in-laws are thoughtful and generous and accepting and just generally wonderful people.  Despite the fact that my mother-in-law is a phenomenal and accomplished cook, decorator, flower arranger, garderner, bird watcher, dog lover and travel enthusiast, she heartily applauds all of my (often lame) attempts at all things domestic.  She's also a voracious reader and more knowledgeable about everything from world events to real estate than almost anyone I know.  I heart her.

A big day.

So, today is a big day for me.  Not only do I start a new and very exciting job today, but today also marks my 200th day of marriage.  I know, I know, everyone says it, but these last 200 days have been the best of my life. I so heart Mr. DD.

In honor of my personal celebrations, I've got something pretty sweet to giveaway to one of my lovely readers!!

The winner of my giveaway will be announced one week from today, March 17th.  The prize is a Le Creuset 12" x 9.5" Rectangular Dish in Cobalt.   Who doesn't love Le Creuset?

Here's how to win:
1. Subscribe- you can't win unless you are a subscriber!
2. Leave a comment telling me the first thing you will make in your Le Creuset dish if you win.
3. Double your entries by tweeting about this post.
4. Triple your entries by posting about the contest in your blog and linking back to this post.
5. Don't forget to tell me if you've done #3 or #4 so I can give you credit!

CSN is hosting this fabulous giveaway.  They have over 200 sites that sell everything from kids beds to kitchen gadgets.  Best of all, their "SALE" sections are fabulous.  Get access to all of their stores here.

Good luck, my lovelies!

Vera Farmiga

Not only is one of the most uderrated actresses in Hollywood, she is also one of the most beautiful.

Listen, you and I both know that the Oscars have been blogged and tweeted about ad nauseum.  So, this is all I am going to say.  Her Marchesa dress was better than gorgeous.  It was a ruffly slice of heaven.  I die.

Couldn't you just die?

I have had "a thing" for Ms. Kate Headley for quite some time now.  Doesn't she take the most striking photos?

Have you seen the birthday party she shot for the most adorable boy in the world?  Enjoy...

 See more from this amazing birthday soiree here.

Mama needs booze.

I used to wait for Mr. DD to get home from work before I began imbibing.  

Yeah...I don't do that anymore.

Am I a bad wife?

Toxic.

This queen of the beauty product was recently delivered some devestating news.  It came in the form of one of my besties admonishing me for my use of spray tan.  Seems counter-intuitive, no?  I laughed at first, shaking my head at her. "Silly girl, tan in a can is clearly safe because it's the alternative to a real tan, which we know is not safe at all.  No wrinkles!!  Follow me?"  Never, ever had it occured to me that this stuff could indeed be poison. 

Then she sent me the following link: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
This site enables you to search every single product in existence and provides you with a rating of its toxicity as well of a list of all its ingredients and their harmful side effects.  The news, my friends, is not good.  Just about every product I use from my face wash to my shampoo to my deodorant fall within the moderate-high hazard range.  And what's to come of my weekly manicure in light of this news: "Reduce your use of nail polish. It's one of the few types of products that routinely contains ingredients linked to birth defects. Paint your toenails and skip the fingernails. Paint nails in a well-ventilated room, or outside, or avoid using nail polish altogether, particularly when you are pregnant. Browse our custom shopping guide for advice on nail polishes that contain fewer ingredients of concern." 

What the hell is a girl to do?  Turning hippie is simply not an option.  As much as I love working with children with Autism, I'd prefer to reduce my chances of giving birth to one.  And don't get me started on cancer...

So, what do you think ladies?  Is this hyper-vigilance extreme or is there merit to reducing the use of products in our best interest?

I love you.

I love you, my fabulous, fabulous city.

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

I love you, my little sandman.  No seriously, Dream Water changed my life.

 

Buy it here. 

 I love you, my little mouse tracker.

12 hours in the life of Teresa.  Click on photo for details.  Make your own here.

And last, but most certainly NOT least. I.LOVE.THIS.  Hooray for DC!

The District of Columbia became the sixth US jurisdiction to allow same-sex unions after the Supreme Court threw out a last-minute legal challenge.