touches of Valentine's day

[Received this cute care package in the mail from my grandparents' church in Kentucky]

[It was filled to the brim with sweets and treats... lots of them homemade! Photo absolutely not staged...]

 [Annalees always remind me of my (other) grandma, and this adorable mouse was actually a gift from her!]

[Drinking coffee out of this cute Valentine mug which I may or may not use year-round...]

 [currently carrying this cheery, red purse]

[a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers in shades of pink adorns my bedside table]

How is Valentine's Day looking where you are?

wrists

“The moment you put on a 3/4 –length or bracelet sleeves, your arms will look longer and thinner. And what woman hates her wrists?” –Michael Kors (InStyle, February 2011)

If you ever need to know how to dress a woman’s body, ask a man. Seriously, when I read the “Kors Commandments” in this month’s issue of InStyle, I couldn’t agree more, especially with this one about baring your wrists. I have a rather petite frame, so my wrists are obnoxiously small. I used to hate it, but they have grown on me and now I am particularly fond of their dainty, delicate appearance.

I have been mindful of Michael’s instructions these past few days (at times pushing up/folding long sleeves when I wasn’t wearing a bracelet sleeve) and I must say it makes such a difference. It's no wonder all the J. Crew models have their sleeves pushed up... smart styling, just look. Anyways, try it, you’ll like it. 

You don't have to be a J. Crew model to look long and lean and have boys stare at you like her (disclaimer: I can't actually guarantee that last part)

Just wear this! That's my plan at least.

we are for each other

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;


wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world


my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don't cry
- the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids' flutter which says


we are for each other; then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life's not a paragraph
And death i think is no parenthesis
-e.e. cummings

Worth Repeating...

“The bed has become a place of luxury to me. 

I would not exchange it 

for all the thrones in the world.” 

-Napoleon Bonaparte 

I slept in until 10 this morning. That never happens. Seriously, it's like my brain has a built-in alarm clock that goes off every morning promptly at 8:15. I don't know if I was just exhausted from a weekend filled with snowboarding, shopping, eating so much delicious food and drinking good wine with one of my dearest friends, or maybe the result of 6 hours in the car yesterday, or quite possibly the melatonin I popped right before bed last night, but I slept like a neonatal and I woke up feeling revived, refreshed, and ready to take on this week. 

The Monday morning after a perfect weekend often tends to be rather abrasive, but chocolate chip muffins, another cup of coffee, and a masterfully crafted Pandora station are helping ease the pain. And the promise of more great weekends to come makes it a little easier, too. 

Cheers to a wonderful week, kittens!

twirl

I got an early Valentine this past weekend...

Twirl by Kate Spade. Doesn't it just look like the perfect little Valentine? (Confession: I haven't been able to part with the box yet! Ahh somebody sign me up for Hoarding: Buried Alive!) But seriously, I am loving it. I am not usually the type of girl who wears perfume every day, but I have been wearing this stuff nonstop since I opened it! Here's part of the description from Sephora.com:

Created to evoke a flirty feeling of "joie de vivre," Twirl by Kate Spade encapsulates the floral fragrance of a garden in bloom, finished with a twist of fresh fruit. 

Infused with a dash of happiness and embodying that final twirl a girl does before she heads out for the day, this fragrance's fruity top notes sparkle with pink watermelon, blackberry, and red currant. Heart notes of fresh flowers take the next dance, including orange blossom, jasmine, and magnolia. The fragrance dries down to a base of luminous musks and a touch of a French macaroon—straight from the patisserie, of course.

And of course I wouldn't be me if I didn't mention OPI at least twice a month. Lately I have been wearing this hue...

it is perfect for Valentine's Day and it earned the approval of one of the little boys I babysat yesterday morning. He put down the airplane he was playing with to grab my hand and say, "You have pretty nails."  Adorable. Question: at what age do boys learn that this behavior is unacceptable? And who is teaching them this nonsense?

Listening to...

"Heartbeats" by Jose Gonzalez

[images via bippity boppity boo]

February

Happy February! I've always been particularly fond of this month. I think it's because she never overstays her welcome, being only 28 days long (29 max). Oh, and of course because of Valentine's Day. Don't you just love Valentine's Day? I do, and I think I owe it to my mom. She didn't raise me to be one of those miserable girls who needs a boy to be happy or to enjoy this most glorious day. At a young age Valentine's Day emerged as my favorite minor holiday... from heart-shaped pancake breakfasts to cereal box mailboxes stuffed with cards and confectioneries, what's not to love? Oh, and of course chocolate. Lots of chocolate. So, consider this a warning. The next two weeks in Soliloquy Land may or may not be moderately Valentine's inspired, not a crazy-mushy-sappy-lovey-dovey-over the top gush-fest just a light sprinkling of pink, red, all things love in addition to the regular chatter.* Deal? Ready, set, go!

[via bippityboppityboo]

*That means that this is not going to turn into a tumblr. :)