French Inspired Valentine’s Day Menu

In the summer of 2004 I studied abroad in Paris, and it won my heart.  I fell in love with the food, museums, people watching, art and overall culture.  I don’t know what it is but lately I’ve been obsessed with going back.    My in-laws just returned from a fabulous visit, and my good friend Abby and her husband are going this Spring.  I’m crazy jealous.   Since we can’t go to Paris, I’ll do my best to bring it here. 

Here’s a French-inspired Valentine’s Day Dinner Menu.  It’s a little ambitious for me – especially on a  Monday night after work, but c'est la vie!

Let me know if you’d like recipes for any of the above.

Hope you have a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

PS: We don’t plan to drink both bottles of wine if you’re concerned – just wanted options!

Bienvenidos a Miami

A couple of months ago on a very cold day, I was delighted when my sweet sister-in-law asked if I’d like to take a weekend trip to the warm promise land known as Miami, specifically this place.  My response was something like. “Yes. Can we leave immediately'?” … Well the time has finally come, and I’m so excited to spend it with some fabulous lady friends while enjoying both the luxury and relaxation Canyon Ranch offers, as well as the crazy glitz of South Beach.

Since this is supposed to be an exercise retreat, I’m looking forward to doing some long overdue yoga, but the pics of the Shore Club Hotel spotted here  are really what get my heart racing!

Yoga Cat

Shore Club Hotel

Have a great weekend and try and stay warm!!

Valentine’s Day Round Up

Valentine’s Day gets a bad rap, and I totally get that. It feels a little forced and cheesy .  If you love someone, shouldn’t you tell them everyday – not just when Hallmark tells you to?  Regardless, I can’t help but smile when I see some of these V-day inspired images.  Who knows, maybe I’ll even buy some of those darn conversation hearts this year… I guess they are kind of cute…

 

via

via

Spotted here and here

What are your plans for Vday?

William Wilson House

Last night on our way to a Super Bowl party, I spotted a gorgeous, huge home for sale in Woodland Heights – a charming, historic Houston neighborhood. It’s rare to see such large homes (this one is over 6600 SF!) in the Heights, so I looked it up on HAR to see pictures. It turns out the home is a protected landmark that was originally built by Houston developer William Wilson, founder of Woodland Heights. According to this article, the house went on to serve as a nursing home, artist commune and assisted living home after Wilson’s death. Eventually it began to deteriorate, and local residents were concerned for its demise until current owner (and realtor,) Bill Baldwin purchased the home and took on the major undertaking of its restoration.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful, historic home. For Before and After pics, click here.

Exterior

Kitchen

Former basement converted to a Wine Cellar – brilliant!

Living Room

I love the history behind the home, and how the renovators maintained the original design. And think, for only $2.1 MM it can be yours!

All images via

Getting Cozy…

Because it’s a Snow Day in Houston (never mind the lack of snow)…I love working from home (more specifically my bed,) and curling up with a digital magazine to  look at pretty images like these from the Premiere Issue of High Gloss.

 

Hope you’re staying warm!

All images are from  High Gloss.

Insanely Beautiful Wedding Video

Wow!  That’s pretty much all I had to say after seeing this gorgeous wedding featured on Style Me Pretty.  The beautiful couple (she reminds me of the pretty brunette on 90210, and he’s Joseph Gordon Levitt’s doppelganger – like totally) are adorable and I love the unique, hipster touches they created on their Big Day.  I emailed the bride, Racheal, to see if she’d mind me posting her video, and she was so sweet and enthusiastic…Be sure to check out her cute blog, Lace and Likes. 

Additionally, the wedding gallery pictures by Tec Petaja can be found here.

Swoon.  It’s so sweet – I love their personal messages to each other and the music.

Wedding Preview: Noah and Rachael 8.14.10 from Ben Potter & Drew Barefoot on Vimeo.

Video by Cana Video Production

PS: I know I got married 3.5 years ago, but I still love seeing what people do.  They are so creative!!

Brrr…Dressing for the Cold

Like most of the country, we are cold here in Houston.   The problem I have with cold weather is dressing functionally while looking somewhat decent.  I stumbled across this picture of Reese Witherspoon recently, and I think she’s wearing the perfect winter outfit.  I love her choice of color (or lack thereof really) and tailored, well made pieces.  She looks appropriately dressed for the weather without looking like the Michelin Man.

Image via

Somehow when I leave the house on a cold weather day, I feel like Joey in the ‘Friends’ episode when he put on ALL of Chandler’s clothes.  I don’t remember why he did that now, but I do know squats were involved.

What do you wear to keep warm???