preppy

so, for some reason, i've been regressing to my high school preppy days of yore. lilly pulitzer dresses have been beckoning, i had to make a run to the closest lacoste store today for a new polo, and i'm a mere seconds away from popping my collar and donning a ribbon belt. i guess this is due to the coming of spring and happy pastel colors, but seriously how can you not love little dresses like this:



or this:



i'm even eyeing these loafers from brooks brothers.



but what i did actually buy today (other than my adorable pink lacoste polo) was a hot pink suit. yes, you heard right. only the jacket is hot pink, the skirt is black, and it is absolutely fun. and while at the outlet mall today, i saw this:



it would have been more fun if it had been operational.

last night, john and i had movie night at the house. we watched my best friend's girl and jumper (hayden christensen is so hot). today, we did a bit of shopping where i got a couple of handy things from the container store, including this for my scarves:



and this for my gift wrap stuff.



we also continued on my cupcake escapade by visiting kate's frosting in san antonio. it's an adorable little shop in the monte vista area and had pretty awesome cupcakes to boot.

oh, and this evening i enjoyed some tv for the first time this week. i gotta say that eliminating the tele from from my weekdays opens me up to so much more, like reading. i think i need a cozy reading chair like this one from ikea:

ugh, my dogs are giving me such a headache right now. i can't stand the barking for no reason that they do sometimes. drives me NUTS! anyway, do you ever have those days where your mind is just a constant influx of ideas? that is how i've been for the past couple of days and it is exhausting! too many things that i want to do that i just have to write them down and hope to someday follow-up on them.

so, i had to take a break from this blog entry to clear my head. it really is so hard to believe how fast time is flying. march is practically over, my 10 year anniversary with john is in april, i have court hearings galore coming up fast, and i will be spending the month of may in junior high schools talking about abstinence (always a fun endeavor) and putting on a clinic with local law enforcement to draft their wills. i just can't get my head around everything i need to do. it's overwhelming, but in a good way, i suppose. i just bought the book bitter is the new black so i'm off to bed to read and relax.

a nice day

today was a refreshing little break. it's never enough time to do everything that i want plus get the rest i so desperately need, but it was nice nonetheless. i spent a couple of hours at a coffee shop reading mary carlomagno's book and i even squeezed in a little shoe therapy. check them out below. yes, i have pretty conservative shoe tastes, but when i find what i want it is kismet.




yes, i really did take these while lying on my back with my feet in the air. what can i say, shoes really make me giddy.

oh, and i haven't watched tv all day, even though i know dancing with the stars is on and it is one of my fav shows. yea for day one!

mental health

so, i'm being a little bit naughty today and called in sick so i can take a "mental health day," as one of my colleagues calls it. and while my plan is to read some more of my new book, i have to admit that the LV website has distracted me. check out this amazing bag.

ok, time to really get my tush out of bed and off to starbucks! :)

first release

true to my word, i went to borders tonight and purchased secrets of simplicity - an absolutely adorable book, i might add. the illustrations are to die for. anyway, so i'm trying to hold myself accountable to the goals i set by talking about them here. the first time sucker i plan to release is television during the weekdays. instead, i plan to spend my time after work doing things i truly love rather than sit like a zombie in front of the tv. hopefully, i'll spend more time walking my dogs, reading, practicing yoga, and other fun stuff. tomorrow is a new day!

secrets of simplicity

kimberly wilson posted a fabulous podcast interview yesterday with mary carlomagno, the author of the book secrets of simplicity. as i looked around my house at all the clutter than never seems to have a place, this interview really resonated with me. when i look at all the stuff i have and all the frivolous bills i pay each month (yes, even some credit card bills, i'm ashamed to say), i have to admit that it is time for a little spring cleaning and simplification. while it seems a little contradictory to buy a book in order to stop the over-abundance, it really looks like a good read and, in the words of rebecca bloomwood from confessions of a shopaholic, "it's an investment." so, off to borders i go.

new shoes make sunburns feel better

ugh, my tush and hammies (hamstrings)are insanely sore today, thanks to my sweet boyfriend and his grand idea of doing yard work yesterday. granted, it was way needed, but i'm not a big fan of pain (or sunburns, which i happen to also have). but enough complaining, because overall it was a good weekend. friday night we saw the cody gill band at billy's ice house and it was much more fun than i expected. billy's is definitely a laid back quintessential texas biker hangout (hard to believe that i know someone who actually had their wedding reception there . . . and managed to get kicked out, wedding dress and all - gotta love white trash).

this weekend really became an ode to target as i spent saturday and today there. i always have to take a hiatus from target because then when i do go i'm like a kid in a candy store.

i got this cute purple shirt and my most exciting find of the weekend were these shoes:



now, i'm the first to admit that i am a COMPLETE snob when it comes to shoes and handbags. my personal feeling is these should be investment pieces and they are usually where my money goes. this probably became true more so after i got my hands on the very coveted, very fab LV griet bag. and, while i always take a stroll through the shoe department at target, i very rarely actually find anything worth wasting even $30 on...until yesterday. i was looking at the shoes, disappointed as usual, until i found a pair of these cute platform, square toe, snake skin (faux, of course) pumps hidden on one of the shelves. i quickly snatched them and looked at the size - 7!!! i then looked at the price tag - $7.48. what?!?! are you freaking kidding me??? i never find deals, especially since i wear such a common shoe size, so this completely made my day.

while i was looking at target.com for a picture of the above shoes, i also found these for work and these for fun.

oh, and i forgot the piece de resistance to this weekend's target shopping:



which i also got in black.

i'm definitely excited to start this week with my adorable pink headband and awesomely cheap, but cute, new shoes. yea!

meeting people in high places

today i had the pleasure of meeting senator kay bailey hutchinson at a small gathering in new braunfels. i have to say that, for such a small town, nb is very political so we always get to do fun little events like today. a couple of my co-workers are obsessed with senator hutchinson and i do have to admit that she is a woman to look up to - she has maintained a very impressive political career while still keeping a very approachable and down home demeanor. as a lawyer, i always find it refreshing to find those types of female role models (probably why i like elizabeth dole, too).

anyway, tonight i plan to go hear a band at billy's ice house (never been, a little scared) and tomorrow i am going to a new home tour/wine tasting! very excited.

horror

last night was a complete horror for me. after spending a nice evening at the citizen sheriff's academy, i came home, ate dinner, and did a little computer face time before heading to bed. as i'm typing away on the computer, i happen to look down at one of my dogs and he looks kind of funny. so, i get up to check on him and he was pretty much going into a seizure. his body was all stiff, he couldn't stand on his legs, he wasn't breathing for a few seconds, and his eyes had this panicked look. i about DIED! john and i picked him up and headed to the emergency vet. fortunately, the seizure did not last long and he was somewhat recovered by the time we started driving, but he just look so confused and scared. i have never felt so scared and helpless before. thankfully, he checked out ok with the ER vet, but now i have to take him to his regular vet to start the lovely testing process to find out what caused the seizure. i just cannot adequately explain how horrible it was seeing my precious baby in such a state and not being able to do anything about it. we have been so fortunate to have healthy dogs, so this completely caught me off guard.

st. paddy's day

happy st. patrick's day! despite my obsession with all things french, i really am just an irish girl at heart.

cupcakes, enchiladas, and ipods

today john and i headed up to austin to hey, cupcake!, an adorable cupcake stand on s. congress. i've been on the hunt for a cupcake place ever since i discovered ooh la la desserts in katy and this one did not fail to please. it definitely had the laid back hippie vibe and, most importantly, delicious cupcakes! i had the standard (vanilla cake with chocolate icing) and john had the 24 carrot (carrot cake with cream cheese icing). so, i totally told john that this was going to be a monthly obligation. anyway, after stopping by trudy's for dinner, we headed home (oh, but not before i bought a hot pink ipod shuffle to motivate my workouts). now, it's time to catch a decent amount of zzz's for tomorrow.

still sick

wow, after many days of sickness, i'm still not feeling back to my old self. while the aching and headaches have passed, i'm still having a hard time keeping food down and my appetite has diminished (the only good thing about this whole mess). i missed 2 days of work last week, which i felt very guilty about. i also learned on friday that one of our attorneys in the civil section will be leaving in 2 months to go into private practice. strangely, she told everyone but us; we just happened to learn through the grapevine. i'm really concerned about how that is going to affect things at the office. she was responsible for the cps cases and she did such a good job for them. most prosecutors hate handling cps cases and so they usually do not get the attention they deserve. it's going to be hard to find someone who cares as much about them as she did. if i didn't feel that the juvenile section needed so much work, i'd probably move over there myself.

anyway, this weekend has been completely lazy for me. my attempt at going out and eating a real meal yesterday turned into a yucky mess in front of the porcelan god so today i kept it low key at the house. friday night i met a bunch of gals at a co-worker's house for a farewell party for a dear girl who is leaving us for greaner pastures in florida. we're going to miss her terribly. it's hard to try to make relationships with people when everyone moves so frequently (myself included). considering i grew up in the same house until i moved away for college, this is a hard reality to adjust to. oh well, at least the daylight lasts longer now that the time has changed. time to bloom!

dining table

so, check out this dining room table. i am strangely falling in love with it. i'm really struck with the modern finish on a traditional table (and at rooms to go, the price isn't half bad). this just might be my new table.

also, in my quest for the perfect "french" bedroom, i found this lovely picture. i love how the blue is broken up with the beautiful white moldings and the floor is to die for. john isn't completely sold on it (as usual), but i l-o-v-e it.