A Little Princess

"I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny, old attics; even if they dress in rags; even if they aren't pretty, or smart, or young. They're still princesses. All of us. Didn't your father ever tell you that?"  - Sara, A Little Princess

Skull And Bones

This video is creepy and fitting for today.  It was shot by a freshman, who referred to himself as the Dauphine, after he broke into the courtyard of Yale's secret society, Skull and Bones.  Shortly after, he mysteriously withdrew from the University for "medical reasons".  Two years later this footage was uploaded to YouTube by a user named Dauphinish.  But the story does not end here.  You can read this Yale Daily News article about the ongoings surrounding the freshman...a story that terrorized the residents of Vanderbilt Hall.

Are you spooked?  Happy Halloween!

Halloween Or Dallas?

Truman Capote's Black & White Ball.  Dr. Zhivago.  The Darjeeling Limited.  And one bitter Park Avenue divorcee residing temporarily in Bellevue's Psych Ward.  It all made for a festive Halloween party.  Or was it just another Saturday night in Dallas? 

Jeff and I paired simple masks with a tux and loads of jewelry.

My friend on the right was the Park Ave divorcee, who later

traded in her ID bracelet for a cute owl mask...

Me (far left) and the girlies. 

How cute is the hostess in her Dr. Zhivago inspired outfit?

Hoot. Hoot.

Excited for tomorrow...

Bal Masqué

File this under: We don't get out much.  I'm super excited for a dinner party we're attending tomorrow night.  At first, we were to simply wear masks.  Those directives have since evolved and I can't wait to see what everybody shows up in.  I really wish I could find the bunny mask with ears that Candice Bergen wore to Truman Capote's Black and White Ball.  Or a great animal mask like the fox ones attendees received at the Mulberry show (channeling The Fantastic Mr. Fox).  I promise to take some snapshots of the evening.  Have a spooky weekend...      

{Breakfast at Tiffany's}

Bon Appetit On Pinterest

Eat to your left, drink to your right...Bon Appetit is now on Pinterest with links to their recipes.

Slip Covered Christmas

I saw the most darling seat covers at Anthro recently that had words embroidered really large on them and were lined in pom poms.  I've been thinking of them ever since.  Now I see this and it has me thinking how much fun it would be to sew some slipcovers for just the backs of my dining room chairs for Christmas.  I like how I pretend I can sew all of a sudden. 

{via}

 

Random Weekend Thoughts

Lately we've been making Ina's Country French Omelet on the weekends.  So easy and so delish!  I highly recommend making it and getting creative with the ingredients.  Once we came out of our breakfast coma, we took Stella to the public library for the first time.  My little bookworm was in heaven!  We vowed to make the library trips a weekend tradition and have even made a special place in the house to keep them so they don't get mixed up with her own books.

While there, I fell in love with Elisha Cooper's book, Beach.  You've most likely seen one of his books before but this one in particular I must buy. 

We watched our friend's daughter, Blake, who knows how to use an iPad so well it's scary.  She's only 1 1/2.  Too young or the wave of the future?  Curious to know your thoughts.  I think it's quite wonderful in moderation.  Stella  then showed her how to have a proper tea party.  

Today we hit up Good 2 Go Taco, which you have to try if you live in Dallas.  Just don't go hungry because there is a line - but it's worth the wait!  Our fav was the taco called Paris, TX: grilled hanger steak, eggs, spinach, potatoes, and charrca tomato hollandaise.  I pretty much love anything with hollandaise on it!  Stella just stuck with a tortilla filled with cheese.  

Lastly, while Jeff watched football, I whipped up some smushy pillows for Stella's room using a Pierre Deux tiny floral and a Cowtan & Tout stripe.  These are amateur at best since I'm learning how to sew. 

Y'all have a good Monday! 

 

 

Miles Fisher In Town & Country

If you were with me back in the beginning, you might have read about my sister's good friend, Miles Fisher, here when he was sweet enough to chat with me.  Now he's in this month's Town & Country (a 2 page spread you must check out) and in Clint Eastwood's upcoming film, J. Edgar.  I'm so thrilled he is finally being recognized for the amazing talent that he is!  I promise he is one to watch.
  

Queso

So you have a little shindig and you wonder what to do with all the leftover cheese?  Well, my co-worker just had a delicious idea.  We had a work event last night and it seemed a shame that there was so much cheese left afterwards.  So she took it home and whipped up queso and brought it into work today.  She put it in a crock-pot and added cilantro, Rotel, and some evaporated milk.  It made for an interesting but yummy taste and a different texture.  I'm not a fan of Velvetta (maybe I'm not Southern after all) so I liked this.  There are various recipes on-line but it seems like you can just wing it and add whatever you like.   

p.s. I'd like to add that my co-workers just picked up Tator Tots from a dive around the corner to dip into said queso.  Chips just weren't enough.  Tator Tots + Queso = A New Low.

Pinning

I think Pinterest is making me crazy.  Some days it overwhelms me, some days I go on sprees and can't stop pinning, and then other days I fancy myself a pinning elitist.  But then the craziness sets in.

For instance, I can't stop pinning pumpkin recipes... 

I don't even like pumpkin!  But wait...maybe I do???

And I'm really relieved to realize that I'm not the only one

who likes low-brow casseroles like this... 

But wait...the others that are pinning stuff like this are skinny.  So do y'all just pin these to make me feel better about myself?  Or do you only feed this to your kids and you're really eating Boston Bibb for dinner?  Cheaters.     

And this door...

Is this in New York?  Did I see it when I lived there or is it only familiar because I've seen it a million times on Pinterest?  This is called Pin-ja-vu or me simply lacking the ability to separate real life from my Pinterest life.    

Sometimes I have to circle around something

for a long time before I pin it.  

Not even sure why.  Maybe because I'm partly annoyed that everybody has pinned it already?  But when I do and it's been out there forever, I don't want you to think I'm seeing it for the first time.  Sheesh. 

Sometimes, when I've been circling around a pin and then my friend, Kelly, pins it, that confirms it for me.  Or Tessa.  Done!  Pinned!  

Sometimes I pin and then delete.  Especially if it hurts my eyes because it's the only bright image on my board in a sea of calm.  Can't even show an example here because I've deleted it. 

I like to late-night pin and I like when I see others are late-night pinning, too, as if I find comfort in knowing they are all safe and snuggly in bed, like this bunny, whose clovers make it appear as though he's sleeping under Porthault sheets.

The End.

 

Or is it?

I mean, tomorrow is another day and a whole new set of images.

But when does it really end? 

I just hit the 3,000 pin mark. 

I was kind of hoping it never got to that.

  

   

      

Fair Day

The Texas State Fair is infamous for creative fried concoctions such as fried bubblegum, fried butter, fried chicken fried bacon, fried beer, fried coke...are you sufficiently grossed out yet?  This year, we had to start off with a Fletcher's Corny Dog, which is pretty much the only reason I ever want to attend the fair.  Once every 5 years is good for me because I don't do well in heat or crowds.  We also tried the fried kraut balls, which were actually good, and the best...fried cheesecake.  Needless to say, I have a fried hangover.  (10: the number of times I typed the word, "fried"). 

 

Octobers

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

 ~ L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

 

{via}

This weekend's list?  Visit the Texas State Fair, cut out construction paper bats, get a haircut so I don't resemble Crystal Gayle, reconnect with my sewing machine, and a Sunday dinner with neighbors/new friends.  How about you? 

Boo!

I'm not one to really decorate the house for all the various holidays per se.  I like a more subtle approach...for example, I put orange tapers in my Tiffany crystal candlesticks.  But Stella LOVES Halloween.  It's her favorite holiday.  So I figured we'd have a little fun with it and we made these to hang in our bay window.

The Cardigan

"Mom, I don't need a sweater, it's not chilly outside. 

Look...the trees aren't shaky." - Stella

{via}

Evergreen Garland

I just ordered evergreen garland from a Boy Scouts troop to be delivered the week after Thanksgiving.  I've been pinning images of garland so much lately that I'm anxious to put my own up now!  I love all these different ways I could hang it...

In a window...

Adorning a bar...

Around an interior door frame...

Or an exterior one...

Along a staircase...

Across a mirror...

Or a fireplace...

Across a fence...

Or a skirted table...

{via}

  

  

Petite Paperie

I've had Petite Paperie's Etsy shop saved in my favorites for over a year now.  I just took a peek again and love all of these tags.  They are perfect for fall adventures, like an apple picking get-together or to adorn a teacher's gift.  Or how cute would the moose be for holiday packaging?  You could leave them as-is or fill them in with markers, colored pencils, or water colors.