I love me some Barefoot Contessa. I'm pretty much a believer of the saying, "never trust a skinny cook." I think Ina (THE Contessa) is just heavenly.
Not like that Giada chick. Ugh, she's annoying. "Gee-AHHD-tha" (My aunt Glenna does a mean impression, well...not mean like in unkind, but mean like in it's awesome. Maybe a little mean (the unkind one), but I don't mind because Giada drives me nuts.)
Anywho, Ina is the bomb dot com. (Annie, what is that from? You better know that one.) I love that she's pretentious. She's the perfect amount of pretentious. But, say for argument's sake that you don't like that about her, well then hear this...
She:
-worked her way from a low-level government aide to a White House Nuclear Policy Analyst
-got her pilot's license in her mid-20's
-earned an MBA from George Washington University
-"flipped" homes as a hobby and then used the money to purchase her specialty foods store, Barefoot Contessa
-has written about a billion cookbooks
-has been with husband Jeffrey (was the dean of the Yale School of Management) since they met when she was 15!
-has a rad cooking show
so she's basically awesome and deserves to be pretentious, I say.
Click on this link to see some favorite Ina quirks, you'll love it.
No, it's not what you're thinking. Or at least what I think you're thinking.
You know how I posted about the amazing and wonderful Denyse Schmidt? Well, guess what? She has a new fabric line coming this fall! Yay, now I can get in on the action instead of being totally late to the party with her other lines and having to get what I can at ridiculously high prices on ebay. What? I totally don't do that.
Yes, I do.
It's going to be called "Hope Valley" and the inspiration has to do with this postcard, apparently. Read about it here.
Oh, and another tied for person I obsess over the most (after the huz and the boys, of course) is Heather Ross. She's equally cool to Denyse Schmidt, but I had to start with someone so I posted about Denyse first. But guess what? They're friends! Like really good friends. Like Heather is having a workshop and Denyse is going to be a guest teacher and there's a bottomless cookie jar! Please say you'll come with me. Oh, the details: it's in Vermont or somewhere on the other side of the world. And it's the same week that Erik will be climbing Mt. Rainier, so we'll have to find someone to watch my kids for about 5 days.
This is the coolest girl in the world. Her name is Denyse Schmidt, and I think that we were destined to be best friends. Or, I could mop her floors or something. She is a quilter extraordinaire. The obsession started at least 10 years ago when I saw an article about her in MS Living.
Yes, I subscribed to Martha as a tween and teenager.
Denyse inspires creative quilting, like from one of my favorite bloggers, Ashley.
Check this out! Isn't this wonderful? If you're not already reading Film in the Fridge, you should. And you're welcome. Except for the part about how you're going to be so jealous/amazed at how much sewing Ashley gets done and all the gorgeous fabrics she gets her hands on. So, for that part...sorry. Denyse teaches a workshop in CT where you can learn her technique for "Improvisational Patchwork" and I'm dying to go. Do you think they have on-site babysitting? No?
Maybe for my birthday I should ask for Erik to take work off for a few days to stay home with kids so I can go across the country on an expensive plane flight, rent a car, and stay in CT for a few days in an expensive hotel so that I can go to the 5 hour workshop (which costs $350).
Am I asking too much? But look at how awesome! I explained it to Erik saying, "what if Dave Grohl (of the Foo Fighters) had a workshop where you could get a one on one drumming/guitar lesson for 5 hours? Would you do it?"
Lots of cute, rolling, crawling (about 2 steps forward so far...), chewing, smiling, and the like.
These two love playing together. Reid is just too sweet. I don't know how to describe it, but he has this magical magnetic quality. Even when he's napping. Look at how sweet! Close-up on the angel face. And an idea of something fun to do:
So there's this blog, Wee Wonderfuls, that I love. Super love.
She has patterns to make little dolls that I think are so precious. Do little girls still play with dolls? I hope so. All the girls I know are into Hannah Montana and Wii. Yikes.
And she also sells notecards of the girls doing cute things. Seeing these doll patterns and this story from her blog (please click on that link, it's painfully cute) gave me a ridiculous idea. My sister Annie and I don't get to hang out very often, and I always think of fun things for us to do that we never get a chance to do. One day I thought it would be funny to make an Emily doll and an Annie doll and take pictures of the two dolls playing together.
Absolutely ridiculous, right? But in an awesome way, yes? I think so, too.
If I ever actually make the dolls and set up a blog for their adventures, I'll let you know.
Okay, so I say Emily craziness but I mostly mean Emily nonsense. The silly stuff that floats around my head. Now you get to read some of it, hot dang!
You know, I think everyone out there thinks that they are a little nuts. Right? But I think that most of us are nuts in a pretty normal way. I think I'm a normal amount of crazy. The good kind of crazy.
Although, do you know who is weird in a perfectly honest way?
Seriously, could someone be any cooler? She seems weird in a very genuine way, as opposed to like, say...the weird dude from the Black Eyed Peas that has the long crazy hair and he's just weird all the time. Do you know who I mean? He seems to put a lot of effort into being weird. And it's just dumb. Regina seems weird in a lovely, natural way and I can't get enough of it. Check out this song, and if you don't love it then I think that we shouldn't be friends anymore.
Harsh, I know, but you just don't "get" me if you don't see the awesomeness and attractiveness of Regina's weirdness.
And because one good video deserves another, here's a Regina classic. Oh, and by the way, I'm on this Regina kick because she has a new album this week and you need to buy it. It will make you happy. I promise.
Then, as if the cool boots weren't cool enough, read about the company and you'll be sold. Let's all get some wacky ACE bandage boots and help some kids get a new pair of kicks, too. Huh? How 'bout it?
I saw this the other day and thought it was crazy. We were talking with the Heaths the other night about how people just don't build "starter homes" anymore. They're all McMansion ginormonsters. I love our mid-century house with it's mid-century flow and mid-century style. Just not the mid-century plumbing. Okay, one point for the McMansions. This was in my saved pictures and I just liked it. When you come to visit we'll take wacky pictures like this. That'll be fun. Have you seen this photo series? So interesting.
Snow White, I know the feeling. I have had those days.
True business.
(via Swiss Miss) I love this a hundred million. I like people who think of something to do in their home, maybe a little bold or off the beaten path, and just go for it. And I like the bike in the hallway.
I don't remember where I found this picture, I'm sure some design site, most likely designsponge, but I better start being better at showing where I get pictures from. I guess sometimes people get pretty cranky about that. I get it, but I don't really get it.
I guess I kind of get it. Come on, did you think we could go a whole Emily crazy post and not talk about hair? Get real.
In August Erik's sister Dana is getting married (Yeah!) and we're going to Denver for about 10 days. I'm totally looking forward to the wedding and the week afterwards playing with Erik's awesome family.
She's like the Bobby Fisher of hair. I think I know what that means. I mean to say that she has a gift and it is hair. She's amazing. Do you live in Denver? Or within a 500 mile radius? Why aren't you going to Natalie, then? You should. And you could play with her cute baby while you're there.
So, when I get the chance to have Natalie do my hair, I'm going to go big. I'm going to lighten my hair. To me, in my hair weirdness, this is a big deal. I'm thinking something like this shade. Or this-ish. Oh, and I'm loving braids lately. I used to braid my hair all the time in funky ways like this, and I think it's long enough to give it a go again. This is a fun picture I found that just makes me smile. I actually like graffiti most of the time, and this I really like. It's kind of sweet, right? Besides the fact that it looks like it's on someone's fence.
The defacement of private property isn't the part I think is sweet. To clarify. And lastly, my feelings about macarons. This is important.
They seem to be everywhere lately, you know? Like it's the hip sweet thing to eat. You know how cupcakes kind of blew up a few years ago and seem to be holding on strong? I think that macarons are going to continue to be a trendy thing to eat. Weird how even desserts are hip or not hip, huh?
A few weeks ago we were in LA so that I could go to the temple and afterwards we stopped by Paulette's. I was excited to give them a try, mostly because they are so beautiful. Take a moment to look at the world's prettiest cookie before I give my review. This kind was Violet Cassis. Sweet Wedding Almond Rose Okay, and now for the review. First of all, the ones with names that are flowers...they mean it. The rose and violet ones taste like you're eating perfume. Kind of gross. The wedding almond one was, however, perfectly wonderful.
The bottom line, though, is that it's a lot prettier of a cookie than it is a yummy cookie. I would rather have a sugar cookie any day. Please make this recipe. Today. You will love it, I promise. I guess if I'm going to have a treat, I'd like it to be yummier for my mouth than it is for my eyes. Even though my eyes think these are spectacularly yummy.
That's all the nonsense for today. Hope you enjoyed it.
I'm pretty sure this is the only way I'll be able to go for a bike ride for maybe the next ten years. But what a way to go, huh? Such a cool bike. Go win one!
Okay, so what is the likelihood, do you think, that I could convince Erik into letting me wallpaper the front hallway with this?
When you come in our front door you see a small hallway and either immediately turn left into the kitchen, or walk 8 feet down the hallway to go straight into the office, right to the bedrooms, or left to the living room. So, it's not a space where we spend a lot of time, but it's a space that could really use some livening up.
I say, why not some rad Marimekko wallpaper? Are you obsessed with Marimekko like I am? Come on, I know you are.
I have a feeling that my chances are better with the "greige" palette.
Still awesome, but not as Holy Crap! awesome. You know?
You know how I used to post about stuff? Just for the fun of it stuff?
I'm going to do that again.
I mean, my kids are dang cute, so pictures of them aren't going anywhere. I couldn't do that to you.
But in between episodes of "my three sons" you'll get sporadic installments of of awesomeness. There is no charge for the awesomeness. Or the attractiveness. (name the movie...)
Today's awesomeness/attractiveness is from one of the coolest blogs ever. True business. Goal for 2009: attend one of her killer parties. Don't know how I'm going to pull it off, but I'll do it. Here are some ideas she posted the other day.
Okay.
Wasn't a little random Emily-ness fun?
(remember how I raved about the labels I used for Reid's party? That's her company. So cool, right? Makes me want to start my own company, too. Oh, right. I already am. What? I haven't told you about that, yet? Well, I should. Because it's going to be awesome. Keep your blog ears open.)
This is our little family blog. Here you will enjoy ramblings about the very important pieces of our life. By very important I mean stuff like how Erik is awesome at impersonations, how cutting bangs showed questionable taste in Emily, tales of the bliss that is our little Reid, and how life is wonderfully upside down with our identical twin boys, Dane and Alec. Now, to add to the fun and the decibel levels in our home, we have sweet baby Henry here, too - the snuggliest baby that ever was. This is going to be good.
