On International Travel

"If I had wanted to see people living in caves, I'd have stayed in West Virginia."

My father, on returning from a scenic bus tour of Ocho Rios, Jamaica

On Wedding Attendance

"Whatever you do, work the room and don't drink beer from a bottle"

My friend Lisa's mother, on proper wedding reception decorum

On the Neighborhood

"I'm surrounded by whores!"

"What?"

"Whores!"

"W. H. O. R. E. S. - WHORES!"

My grandmother, on the state of her neighborhood

Sunday Morning

I headed up to Ikea on Sunday morning.

I had a $100.00 budget but then I got there and I went CRAZY, ya'll.

I bought every single thing I wanted.

I said "Flooty to the Recession! I'm shopping!"

(In case you are unfamiliar with the word "flooty", it's a cuss word my Mother made up. Feel free to incorporate it into your pseudo-prafanity vocabulary. She won't mind.)

Anyway,

I spent $96.22.

What can I say? I tried.

Here's the haul:



I got the martini glasses that I have been coveting.

And a stack of new hand towels for the kitchen:

And in addition to a couple of frames, some magazine organizers and new oven mitts, I got some cute little flower pots and greenery for the mantle in the living room:

I've been unhappy with the mantle since I moved in and I had just about decided that there was no use fooling with it until I can get the new couch and chair in here. And that's still mostly true. For now, the living room is OK, but it's not where I want it to be.

But I saw these little pots and liked them and they are indicative of one of the things that I like most about Ikea and that is this: They often do simple things very, very well. Their household items are well designed and often, don't seem mass produced.
These little pots LOOK expensive but they were actually $2.99 each and they remind me of something one would purchase at Wisteria for substantially more money. I think the same is true of my new martini glasses. They have an expensive, handblown look and yet, they are incredibly inexpensive.
Lots of people use the word "cheap" when describing Ikea but I don't think that's accurate. Their products are inexpensive, but what I like is that they aren't "cheap".
At least that's what I'm gonna keep telling myself.
Oh, I don't but their furniture. You have to draw the line somewhere.

The New Baby

Her name is Anais.

She's petite and very, very purple.

Painted Stairwell

Before:



After:

I get that ya'll might not get the full impact of the fabulosity, but I am very excited about this. Unfortunately, the loveliness of the paint has only accentuated the ugliness of the banisters. I am going to make a push to get them painted this weekend.

The wallpaper plan may be permanently on hold. As we discussed before, I had picked out some wallpaper for the entry. Well, I got the estimate back. $1500 to buy 3 double rolls of wallpaper and have it installed (installation was only $175.00). Needless to say, we're not pursuing that plan here at Chateau Bee Charmer.

Geeze.

It's times like these that I am reminded that I am from Appalachia.

Anywho, I have lined up some more budget friendly alternatives and ordered samples. I am actually more excited about these options so we'll see how it goes.

For now, we're enjoying the paint.

Entropy

There are days, and yesterday was one of those days, when all I can think of are all of the failures and disappointments in my past. I have failed. I have lost. I have let myself and others down. I have lied. I have hidden. I have not always been the person that I wanted to be. And on some days I look at it and I can't forgive myself and don't think that I should be forgiven.

Some days I am a kinder person. But not yesterday.

Intellectually, I know that my life today is the result of my hard work and my successes. And I absolutely know that failure and disappointment teach you lessons that cannot be learned by studying books. I know that it's not so much the falling down as it is how you get up and what you do next.

But on some days, the bad stuff is so much easier to believe. And yesterday was one of those days.

A Loss and Then A Find

Friday I broke my lovely white McCoy bowl. I accidentally dropped it while cleaning and much profanity followed. And I'm still a little distraught. I am incredibly particular about the McCoy that I buy and I have a small, yet very considered collection.

Now, I gotta look for a NEW old white McCoy bowl.

I should tell you at this point that the only real souvenirs I collect when travelling are business cards from shops and restaurants that I enjoy and want to remember. The cards themselves are just as beautiful as they can be, they don't cost anything and they are easy to pack. I come home and put my very favorites into my former beautiful bowl.

The bowl in the above picture is just a "stand in" from Crate and Barrel that I had around the house. If you love it, you can go grab one for not very much.

But back to my story - and this is harder to write coherently than I thought it would be... when I broke the bowl on Friday my business cards scattered all over the floor. And when I bent to pick them up, I had the lovely experience of remembering all of the places from whence they had come. And I was happy that this small joy had arisen from my tragic accident.

Since I enjoyed my little trip down memory lane, I decided that I would share some with ya'll.

First, we have Savoy where I ate the last time I was in New York. We took a cab down to Soho from our midtown hotel and felt very hip, slick and cool. Then we drank (and I spilled) copious amounts of red wine, flirted with the locals and ate in the upstairs dining room. It was a tiny, close restaurant and although I cannot remember what I ate, I remember that they had olives at the bar and that I had a perfectly smashing time. Shout out to Ronna for footing the (considerable) bill. Yay Pseudo-Mom!


Next we have Cafe Marchesa where I recently dined in Key West. I loved Cafe Marchesa and particularly approved of their decor and their French Martinis. The other thing I am still madly in love with is their martini glasses which I strongly felt were incredibly expensive and beyond my reach. Imagine my excitement to have come home and found them for sale at Ikea for $1.99 per stem. I believe they will soon be mine.

City Issue, in Atlanta, was found after a particularly lovely and extremely confusing drive all over, under, around and through Buckhead. We finally found it, quite by accident, I think. It was worth the trip. And the trip was worth the trip. They had some amazing Mid-Century modern pieces and I hope to find it again one day.

We ate at Coco Pazzo in Chicago LONG before Jennifer Aniston decided to frequent it while filming The Breakup. She just won't stop trying to steal our glory. It is tiny and intimate and we were happy to have reservations. I had the best service EVER while dining there and my risotto was to die for. And, you know, the wine...well it goes without saying. After dinner we walked back up Michigan Avenue to our hotel. What a great city and a fun trip.

Sorza is a little restaurant on the Ile St. Louis in Paris. I love it there. Paris in general and Ile St. Louis in particular. If you ever have just one day in Paris, go there. You won't be disappointed. We ate at Sorza on our last trip and this card just reminds me of that beautiful day, in Paris, and being happy.

Charms for the Easy Life

I decided to devote myself to reading this summer. Preferably Southern writers.

I started this book last night and finished it today and I think it is one of the best books I've ever read. I just want to wait a week and then read it all over again.

Finn v. The Thunder Boomers

We've had a lot of thunderstorms this spring and my little Finny has become more and more concerned about the noise.

Lately, I've been finding him hiding in the strangest places.

Today he made it into my closet.

The door was only cracked and he almost got locked in, in which case Lola would have had to step in and save his life. Due to his predilection for dark rooms in times of storm, he gets locked in closets and powder rooms from time to time.

He just wants to go somewhere dark and quiet and get some peace. And then the door gets pulled to and he's stuck.

Lola always alerts me to his peril long before I go looking for him.

And then I open the door and there he is, contentedly sleeping and mad to be bothered.