In an Ideal World...

What a relief to have pushed through this week till today, the end of a week full of errands, mishaps, frustrations, and utter exasperation.

Rather unbelievably, given the week I've had, the day has actually gone relatively well so far:

1.  I swung by Buccee's this morning for the express purpose of treating myself to a cranberry walnut muffin, and I scored the last one!  I was almost preening with delight.

2.  Then in an unprecedented feat of perfect timing, I arrived at the health food store to pick up my pre-ordered potato starch (!)...for homemade gluten-free bread...at 10:01 a.m., putting me there just as they opened but still efficiently on schedule.  Clearly it didn't take much to wow me today.

After that things went slightly downhill...but only slightly. 

I did discover that Cracker Jacks, which I LOVED as a kid and still sometimes buy for myself, are gluten-free.  So GFB will be testing them out as a snack in the days to come.  Also on the menu: red bell pepper slices with ranch dip and chicken salad with red grapes and pecans*.  My kids' stomachs have lived very sheltered lives so far.  But that's all about to change...

* only GFB will have the pecans...PFB will have to miss out.

Weather-wise, it's a perfect, spring-like day here, and I can't help but think it's a good day for a picnic.  Here is a snapshot of the day I would have liked to have had...

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Relaxing on a coral beach towel in a park somewhere, wearing a cute outfit and eating a French macaroon...  One day.  I'm seriously thinking of adopting her Manifesto.  (The very fact that she has a Manifesto makes her inarguably cool in my book).  This is exactly the life I want...with a few highlighted exceptions.

We believe…

We believe in being glass-half-full sorts of girls.
We believe that often times, granny is chic.
We believe in peddling vintage Schwinns with flower baskets.
We believe in poetry, picnics, and piñatas.
We believe one is never too old to keep a diary, the secrets only grow more scandalous.
We believe in arranging fresh flowers unruly like an English garden.
We believe in adventure and traveling the globe, be it to Marrakech or Malibu.
We believe in mixing lucite with oriental rugs. Thrift store finds with heirlooms.
We believe in handwritten thank you notes, better late than never.
We believe in needlepoint, letterpress, decoupage and forgiving Martha Stewart.
We believe in piggy banks and cookie jars.
We believe in book clubs full of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Austen and Woolf.
We believe station wagons are hopelessly chic.  (not sure about this one)
We believe in recycling our Grandmothers’ names. Eloise, Jackie, Faye…
We believe in collecting: stamps, shells, books, big glittering diamonds…
We believe in marrying the boy that writes us the best love letters.
We believe in highly competitive board games—Chess, Scrabble, Chutes & Ladders.
We believe in spontaneous road trips and charming, chintzy bed & breakfasts.
We believe there’s something to fortune cookies, wishbones and 4 leaf clovers.
We believe in classics, shaken and stirred.

She is Katie Armor of Matchbook Magazine.

A Little Peek at Paris

Found this on Stephanie Perkins' blog and had to share.


EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.


Tragically, I don't see Paris in my near future.  Butters has been before (on a junior high school trip), and is expressing no interest in seeing it again anytime soon.  Me, I've yet to go...

To Keep Me Busy...

So, I've decided to draw up a small list of fun things I hope to accomplish in 2011.

Learn to crochet.  To be judged by my ability to make this scarf.

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Take advantage of pick-your-own produce whenever possible.

Rig up some fairy lights in my own backyard for impromptu ice cream soda nights on the patio--look at this chandelier!!

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Take one vacation for fun and one just to relax (probably not with these guys...)

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Screenprint something

Hang an inspiration board over my writing space for maximum impact.

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What about you...what's on your 2011 To-Do?

18 After 18

Once again inspired by Dancing Branflake...I decided to make my own 18 After 18 list...

1.   Visit New York at Christmastime
2.   Go on a picnic with my husband
3.   Go snorkeling in the Caribbean
4.   Dip my toes into the Mediterranean Sea
5.   Splurge on French macaroons
6.   Have a rooftop party
7.   Participate in a laser tag battle with friends
8.   Make my own jam
9.   Learn to knit
10. Wear self-knitted item(s)
11. See a performance of Wicked
12. Plan an awesome book launch party and invite all my friends
13. Explore the Austin, TX 'Trailer Cuisine Scene'
14. Learn to play the piano
15. Go horse-back riding
16. Go camping...in a tent
17. Expand my cheese palate
18. Visit a cherry orchard

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What's on your list?

The Stuff of Dreams

I'm completely impressed with this person's level of creativity and her endurance at keeping this going so long (there are two dreamscapes a week, totalling more than forty in all. They're irresistible and you can't look at just one...
I guess she's keeping her advertising muscle exercised.

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I wonder if this baby has any idea what is going on during her naps...

Thought I might take up a similar project with my dog, but she's not cooperating too much.




I considered getting her on the floor and creating a grass & sky scene and then positioning a frisbee so that it looks like she's flipping over backwards to catch it, but the situation hasn't presented itself. (I'm not sure if we own a frisbee either). I don't think this is going to pan out. But if it does, you can bet I'll be posting.

**New idea: I could try to create a two-dimensional trampoline, and she could be doing flips on that! Oooh! Or maybe she could be doing trapeze work--a circus dog!! Maybe when this book is done...

A Fairy Tale

This looks and sounds perfectly lovely. And I vow to have an Italian Soda Bar at the next possible opportunity.

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To Do List before I can host my own Summer Ball
1. Learn to host(ess)
2. Wait for the evening temperature to drop ten degrees
3. Wait for the mosquitos to die off, and make sure not to schedule The Ball during a mosquito truck run
4. String up some party lightsGreat Gatsby lights (thanks, Sarakastic!) in my backyard (and maybe tidy a few things up back there).
5. Buy my boys some dress clothes and ties
6. Convince my husband that we need to have a Summer Ball...and that it needs to have an Italian Soda Bar
7. Invite some friends willing to get dressed to the nines for a backyard get-together.

Piece of cake!

Nightmare of a Dream

I feel utterly steamrolled. Between not being able to get a solid, uninterrupted night's sleep, and having my computer turn its back on me, I can't seem to catch a break.

I don't want to discuss the computer stuff--there's evidently nothing I can do. I'm just IRRITATED over my own carelessness, combined with some downright disappointing behavior from my computer. As far as I can tell, I've only lost about ten pages from my latest work-in-progress. But that's plenty, I assure you. Thank goodness I've been relatively conscientious with my flash drive!

Then there's the dreams. For going on about a month now, I've been waking up every night believing I'm a participant in the same never-ending situation. Basically there is something I was supposed to do, and I didn't do it. So someone has come to my house--in the middle of the night!--to discover why it is I didn't do it. First off I'm obsessed with the need to change my clothes, because I'm not exactly dressed for visitors, and then I rummage around, not really knowing what I'm doing, trying to figure out why I haven't done what I'm supposed to do and why, oh why there is a stranger in my house in the middle of the night! I can go through this whole routine two or three times in a night. It. Is. Exhausting.

Maybe tonight, I'll just stand up and say, "I didn't do it, okay. I'm sorry. Please take me off your volunteer list and GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

Believe it or not, it felt good to write that all out.
I'm crossing my fingers for a good night's sleep tonight.