One Fine Day

Friday, June 5, 2015

LURVE LOAVE LUFF

Let's get right to it, shall we?

Here's what made me feel all twitterpated, smile contagiously, giggle uncontrollably, etc.

Kate Spade Desktop Wallpaper // Go on and adorn your digital devices with dots. This wallpaper download is free! Woot!
Striped Tuxedo Shift Dress // The love I professed in my graphic is aimed at the shift dress not the model, although she's absolutely adorable in this comfortably classic getup. I'll take one of each please. Also, that lip color is on point.
Essie Gel Setter // There's a reason this top coat is sold out. Now how will I get my grubby little hands on a bottle??
Never Overdressed Journal // I'm so ecstatic about our upcoming trip to Austin. In anticipation of our departure, I've been a list-making fool. There's so much to EAT and oodles of activities to do. I'm officially giddy and hungry.
Amy & Ivor // Based out of the UK, this company has the cutest selection of stylish shoes for babies and toddlers.
Stabilo Pen Set // These German pens take me back to my middle school days in Deutschland. I recently ordered a fresh set of my favorite colorful pens and all of the best memories started creeping back at me. Which way to Nostalgiaville??
Iris Apfel Photo // Heed advice from Iris and don't be afraid to paint in a fur coat. We can all learn a lesson or two from this charming photo. Would you just look at the moxie and bliss captured in that moment? It's intoxicating.
Liber & Co. Cocktail Syrups // Ooh, tasty! I plan to pick up a bottle or two of these cocktail syrups while in Austin.
Beaded Blossom Bracelet // Whenever I wear this I receive lots of random feedback. Gaudy? Maybe. But in the BEST way.
Leather Pineapple Keychain // When did I become so obsessed with keychains? Then again, there are so many cute ones these days. Perhaps I can rationalize this one as an homage to our stint in Hawaii. Yes, definitely the reason I need it.
Extension Cord // Who has two thumbs and hates cords?? This gal! The only exception?? Polka dots. Forever and always.
Mid-Century Modern Mailbox // Upon seeing this gorgeous mailbox, I almost fell out of my seat—that's no exaggeration. Alright, I was being clumsy and forgot about the swivel when I got excited, but I don't think that's a coincidence.
Herbert Green Polka Dots // By now you're probably tired of me talking about this fabulous Tumblr and the artist behind it. Aside from my routine visits to J.Crew's website, I don't know if I've frequented a website this much for inspiration.

As always, thank you kindly for stopping by. Cheers to a snazzy weekend, m' dears! Make it count.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

THINKING ABOUT: Leave it to my favorite brand of gin—Hendricks, obvi—to bring a thirst for adventure back to flight in the form of a ginormous airborne cucumber. Yes, you read that right. The 130-foot dirigible will appear in 13 cities across the nation giving a small number of gin enthusiasts a ride in their boozy blimp. Ooh, pick me, pick me! Let's just take a second and imagine what it would be like to take a tongue-tingling sip of Hendrick's aboard a FLYING CUCUMBER. Now THAT is a slice of heaven, my friends. Unfortunately, I'm sad to report I learned about this a little too late because it already made its grand appearance in Austin at the beginning of May. Aw, shucks! Perhaps this is a sign it's time I ditch the Volkswagen for something vegetal.

FEELING: In last week's Love List I featured artwork by the fabulous Herbert Green and promised to share more of her illustrations on the blog this week. Lucky for you, I didn't forget. I mean just look at these gorgeous cutouts and patterns—how could I? So today I present to you some of my colorful favorites in a GIF-tastic format. When I browse her Tumblr admiring the creations, I swear it feels like someone jumped inside my mind and heart. This is the closest I've ever come to finding an artist who perfectly expresses how I think and feel in such an accurate and visual way. Simply put, the artwork brings me great comfort and happiness.

THANKFUL FOR: A couple of weeks ago, we were in line waiting to checkout at Wally World when a stranger asked me, "How old is your baby?" I responded happily with seven months. That's a pretty good answer, right? The stranger went on to ask, "No, how many WEEKS?" I froze nervously and gave a ballpark estimate. I had that look of panic written all over my face, and I knew she knew I wasn't one hundred percent sure of the exact number. Gulp. Thankfully, we were next up in line and that was the end of that conversation. When we finally got to the car I felt frazzled like I was failing terribly as this whole mom gig. How could I forget how many weeks old Max is? Determined to be equipped with the right answer, I whipped out my phone and looked at the calendar. Ugh, the idea of counting weeks back to October felt overwhelming and honestly quite boring. I've never been a numbers person so details like this escape me quite often. Finally, with a hint of sarcasm and despair, I Googled "How old is my kid?" I expected Siri to jump out of my phone and slap me, but much to my delight I found there's an actual website that answers this specific question. Score! The genius creator behind the site made me feel human again and deserves a special shout out. I can't thank you enough. Now I keep this handy window open on my phone for reference because I will probably (erm, definitely) forget the number of weeks. Again.

EATING: Since we have an abundant amount of peppers, I whipped up this Cilantro Jalapeño Hummus. It reminded me of the bottom layer in Trader Joe's Three-Layer Hummus only spicier. It was a simple and tasty snack that I would totally make again and again! I also took a stab at these Orange Chicken Meatballs recently and paired them with some veggies and brown rice. Flyboy was a BIG fan and requested we add them to our ongoing list of go-to meals. Note: These weekly Thursday's Thoughts posts push me to try new recipes so I have something to share with you in this category. Thanks for keeping me motivated and out of a meal planning rut!

LISTENING TO: It's no secret I rely on the iTunes Pop radio station to get me through my spinning workouts. After cycling through some of the latest and greatest, I heard the most recent rendition of Taylor Swift's poison letter Bad Blood. Max isn't much for pop-culture commentary and it would be hours until Flyboy came home to humor me, so I picked up my phone and sent the following text to my sister: "Crazy to think we once lived in a world when Bad Blood existed without Kendrick Lamar." Just as I hoped, Aubrey responded and we exchanged a series of emoji-filled texts that consisted mostly of me explaining Swift's rift with Katy Perry. After going back and forth for ten minutes, my sister didn't respond again for a good hour. I guess she has a life or something... Anywho, while surveying my texts in anticipation of Aub's next snarky remark, I couldn't help but feel RIDICULOUS for knowing an absurd amount about these dueling divas and this hater's anthem. So in the event you have any other tween-related inquiries, I'm your girl.

WATCHING: On Sunday night I got super excited because I thought THIS was the week Real Housewives of Orange County and Odd Mom Out premiered on Bravo. Nope, try again. It turns out I was off by a week, but on the bright side I'm super excited for next Monday and Tuesday. Maybe in an effort to fill my trash TV love tank we should go ahead and discuss New York alphas Bethenny and Heather? Holy awkwardness! When will Yummie Tummie learn that B ain't no HOLLA-back girl? See what I did there?? To compare the loss of your nanny of nine years to Frankel's childhood and current legal drama is just heinous. Get to steppin', Thomson.

READING: The summer issue of Domino magazine arrived in my mailbox last week, and while I haven't had a chance to devour it as I'd like, I do have a comment or two about what I've seen so far. I'm not sure what it is about the layout in this issue but I'm having the hardest time deciphering whether the spread is part of a feature or ad. I've found the pages to be overly busy, which takes away from the gorgeous content. I realize ads are needed to keep publications like Domino afloat, but this wasn't executed as well as it's been done in the past. I've learned to expect this from magazines like Real Simple and Glamour, but for $12 a copy I'd like to think the designers at Domino might find a way to seamlessly weave ads into each issue. This just feels clunky and cheapens the overall aesthetic I've grown to love over the years. Let's hope it was just a mishap this time around.

LOVING: Since mother always knows best, I took advice from my mom and tried Urban Decay's Ultimate Ozone Multipurpose Lip Primer as soon as she text me to recommend it. Just as promised, this clear and creamy stick fills in fine lines and prevents lip color from feathering. Hooray for no more embarrassing smudges! As I've gotten older, I've realized that a little bit of lipstick makes me feel put together and look more awake, but I don't always have time to reapply throughout the day. Oh, hey, Max! After using this pencil, I was so impressed to see my lipstick lasted all day without any touch ups. Hours of sipping on reheated coffee and smooching on the baby and my lip color looked just as good as when I applied it in the morning. I'm sold!

Enough about me. How are you feeling today? What are you up to? Thanks for stopping by!!

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

WHIMSICAL WEDNESDAY

Some days (cough, Tuesday, cough) require a little mental escape. When nothing seems to go right, it's nice to daydream about future adventures or sweet memories from the past. In my case, I like to regain composure by escaping to my closet. Yes, it sounds pathetic, but it's true. While organizing accessories, I take a quick baby breather and concoct a creative vision of my happy place.

For instance, to combat the crazy that ensued yesterday, I found myself daydreaming of a familiar place—Maui. I decided I'd wear this fabulous beach hat and hide behind this punchy pair of sunnies. Over the course of the afternoon, I'd down a few frozen spiked beverages and hang out in this spectacular swing while devouring the beautiful view before me. In between drinks and dozing off under palm trees, I'd find various forms of leisurely entertainment (a good book) tucked away in this adorable pom-pom basket. I imagine I'll spend lots of time staring at the ocean scenery with sun-kissed toes staring right back at me. They might as well sparkle with a pair of bejeweled sandals and a colorful pedi in a shade of polish aptly named Haute in the Heat. Ahh, I could get used to this...

Happy Wednesday, sweet readers! If you need me, you know where to find me.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

LIFE'S LITTLE DETAILS

"THE DETAILS ARE NOT THE DETAILS. THEY MAKE THE DESIGN." — CHARLES EAMES

Happy Tuesday, m' dears! This sounds terribly dramatic, but after DAYS of nonstop rain (I'm looking at you Grey May!), our week started off with a sunshiny bang and I feel like a whole new person. For the first time in a long time, I'm genuinely motivated and energized—and it's not just the iced coffee talking. June, you're looking mighty fine my friend! Let's get on with the crazy details...

THE MEDIOCRE DEETZ:

A certain pint-sized Fine is teething again (When does it end?), and he's driving me bonkers. I feel for the sweet babe, I really do, but his entire demeanor can change in an instant. He's SO unpredictable. We can go from giggling to wailing in a snap. I can't help but wonder how we got so lucky with this one, and I also question how we EVER survived colic. When did I become so weak?! Just six days shy from turning eight months and he has four chompers. Is that even normal??

The abysmal weather paired with a cranky tot had me feeling like I was about to go insane. At one point last week I felt so drained and my head hurt. I seemed more frazzled than I did when Max was a newborn. How is that possible? Then I realized I was running off of coffee and oatmeal and I wasn't fueling my mind and body as necessary. Thankfully, my sweet friend Danielle sent over a few of her "Today is Mine" notepads to stay organized and on task. I'm such a visual person; somewhere along the way I stopped jotting down my daily goals and to-dos. No wonder I felt so out of sorts.

Whenever I pop into the store for an item or two, I typically push Max around in his stroller. As he's grown, I can tell he likes to look around and gets bored easily in his car seat. Go ahead and cue chucking his bottle and toys at the most inopportune times. Anywho, I looked into various shopping cart covers and opted to go with this multipurpose striped one from Native Wilds. It arrived on Monday, so I'm eager to give it a test drive whenever we run errands next.

On Saturday evening we met some friends for dinner. It was a great excuse for the antisocial Fines to mix and mingle. Woop woop! However, on our way home, I realized we lost Max's favorite teether (this one). I've always heard about people buying these things in multiples, but it wasn't until last week that I realized he was so keen on it. Long story long, I'm waiting on the UPS man to deliver it this afternoon. I was able to locate it on Amazon Prime, but unfortunately for us, the seller didn't give the option to have it shipped overnight. Sigh. For now our little love nugget will continue to gnaw on his favorite flash cards and attempt to chew at his feet. So much for keeping things sanitized and safe around here...

Originally we were going to head to Austin this Thursday for an extended family weekend of fun, but Flyboy's work schedule started to look a bit hectic and we opted to adjust our vacation dates just a tad. We were both initially bummed, but it might just work out better this way. We'll set out on Sunday for the Texas state capital and by next Tuesday we will have stuffed ourselves silly with oysters at Perla's and confections from Gordough's. You will be forced to hear about it on the blahg, no doubt. Please, contain your "Yay, they're getting outta Dodge!" excitement.

Alright, enough of my bloggie babbling. What are YOU up to these days? I'm dying to know.

P.S. Oh hey, today marks 1,000 posts at One Fine Day!