#Reverb10 - Day 3

image from here.

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)

For me, it should go without saying, the day I visited the Eiffel Tower. In so many ways, it was just another typical tourist trap, but looking past the crowds and the tacky souvenir vendors, I was able to feel the magic I feel whenever I see a picture of La Tour! Really, my entire trip to Paris was absolutely magical. The buildings, the history, the beauty, the people, the air, the food, the freedom, everything about Paris was a dream. When I returned, my level of inspiration had never been so high. And even though I'm tired and slightly forlorn, I still feel that magic 6 months later.

#Reverb10 - Day 2

image from here.

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)

Um, I don't write often enough. The first half of this year, I was completely absent from the blogosphere, and since then, I'm lucky to write once a month. A lot of that has to do with my job, of course. Some aspects of work, I obviously cannot eliminate, but I do take on more work than I'm required to. I've been spending the past several days really contemplating what work extras I can eliminate so I can focus on those personal extras that I always, always neglect. Given how this year ended for me at work, I'm more committed to this than I think I have ever been.

#Reverb10 - Day 1

Ok, everyone seems to be participating in this, and I think it's a pretty fabulous idea for winding down the year and preparing for 2011. So, in typical moi fashion, I'm starting late, but here it goes:

December 1 – One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)

"Draining" - It was a little difficult to find the right word to describe 2010. Some of the best and worst things happened this year, and right now I'm completely exhausted. We were short-staffed at work for over 3 months, which meant I had double duty, I became president of one of the non-profits I'm on, I went to Paris for the first time with my BFF, my sweetie lost his job but fortunately found a new one, and the year ended with me getting passed over for an important promotion at work. Looking back, it was a pretty crazy year and, honestly, I'm glad it is over.

For 2011, I'd like to have a year of "beginnings". Whether in my personal life, professional life, or both, I'm hoping for some inspiration and new things for 2011.

french macarons

I posted about this months ago, but I FINALLY made the time to create a little Paris at home via French macarons! Anyone who has been to Paris knows that these are a hot commodity, and rightly so. Contrary to the coconut cookies that they are often confused with, macarons are delightfully tasty sandwich cookies whose varieties are limited only by your imagination.

At work, we had a cookie swap and I figured this was as good a time as any to try my hand at this special cookies. If you're looking for a quick way to churn out 96 cookies (which is how many I had to make), these are definitely not the cookies for you. But, if you want to make something really special that will get you noticed, then these are it! There are a ton of recipes and antidotes all over the Internet, but it really is just trial and error to find out what works best for you and your oven.

Below, are pics from my first 2 attempts at making macarons - these are chocolate peppermint - yum!



The macaron batter with green food coloring.



The finished product!



The cookie box I made for each cookie swap participant!



My office Christmas tree complete with macaron box.



My second go-round this week. These turned out even better than the first try. Yea!

A Bad Day

Today was a bad day. The thing I've waited over a year for did not happen. And now the hard process of deciding where I go from here begins.

my inner french girl

image from here.

So, I've been feeling Frenchy lately (really, when am I not?) and I came across this fun website that had an entertaining (and slightly stereotypical) top 10 list of How to be a Parisienne. It's a fun read and there are many more fun reads on that site. Enjoy!

(oh, and I'm getting a nagging feeling about revamping my site, so we'll see what my little head can cook up)

Bonne nuit!

Pretty Things

Bonsoir! I've been a bit absent from here for the past few weeks and I tried to think about what was going on that distracted me so much. One of my closest friends is going through some serious health issues and I'm having much dreaded work drama. I'm feeling optimistic about my friend, but I anticipate the work drama to continue until the end of the year. Boo.

So, maybe this is serving as a mental escape from life drama, but I have become crazy obsessed with Etsy! I've been an Etsy fan for years, but it's been like a daily thing for me lately. It really is such an amazing site for artists, that I just have to share a few of my favs:

a la parisienne - this shop is full of beautiful, dainty pretties such as flower pins and scarves in muted blushes and ivories. lovely!

rococo en fleurs - another fun shop of flower pins - all named/influenced by Marie Antoinette and friends. how fun is that?!

CLF - amazingly embellished tank tops. i mean, AMAZINGLY embellished.

rebecca 3030 - unique, over-the-top, beautiful necklaces.

bouvier jewelry - fabulous pearl jewelry a la Jackie O!

novella - incredible jewelry created out of crucifixes. love.

There are many more, but these are the ones I've been looking at a lot the past few days. It makes me feel good to buy from Etsy - love supporting people making homespun, beautiful things. Maybe when my life drama settles down, I'll find my niche too. :)

Boo for Sunday

Boo for Sunday. It means it's time to head back to work tomorrow. But, it's been a fun weekend because I discovered 2 blogs - the glamourai and what i wore. Both have been around for a long time, but they are new to me which means that I spent the weekend reading catching up on old posts. Both are very fun and I HIGHLY recommend.

So, while I'm not looking forward to the work week, I am looking forward to getting back into the gym scene. I've been pretty lazy for a month or so now, and, boy, and I'm feeling it. Sluggish and puffy - that's me right now and I don't like it one bit.

new york, new york

Guess who's going to New York City for the very first time? Moi! My BFF and I will be going this December so we'll get to see NYC during Christmas. So, so, so super excited! While I don't have the itinerary all planned, here are some things I hope to do and see while I'm there:

A carriage ride through Central Park:



Take a ferry out to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty:



Pay tribute to my peeps at the Irish Hunger Memorial:



Enjoy amazing Gothic architecture at St. Patrick's Cathedral:



Have afternoon tea at the St. Regis:



Indulge in French macarons at Macaron Cafe:



This is all in addition to major shopping, visits to the tourist spots like Rockefeller Center and Times Square, more shopping, etc. Did I mention that I'm crazy excited? If anyone has suggestions for places to shop, eat, anything, please share!

le temps de vous

Bonjour! Another weekend over and done, except for moi! I've taken tomorrow off for a "mental health day," as I like to call them. I haven't taken one of those days in a long, long time. But, I've had the entire weekend to myself and I just wasn't quite ready for it to be over with. How luxurious to just take a day off for the sake of time to yourself, no?

So, what happens when I'm left to my own devices for an entire weekend? I dye my hair red. lol. After over 2 years of blonde, I decided it was time to go au naturel. Unfortunately, my attempt at doing my own dye meant that it turned out a little more red than expected. Oh, well, I'm going with it. It's actually kind of a fun change.

So, here's to fun, unexpected changes, even more fun wine (tonight!), and time to one's self.

project macaroons

Bonjour, mes amis! I hope this holiday weekend was relaxing and enjoyable for everyone, because it certainly was for moi! I spent part of the weekend at my parents' home and the other part at my alma mater at a football game (Gig 'em, Ags!). It's hard to believe that this year is my 10 year anniversary from college. Where does the time go????? So, so, so scary, but that's another topic for another day. Point is, I had a great time reconnecting with old friends, watching good football, and generally feeling nostalgic for the good old days.

But, now, back to reality. Off to the work grind tomorrow, but I have a fun new project under my belt - macaroons! Before Paris, a macaroon was a boring little cookie, usually made of coconut. Nothing of any real consequence to me. After Paris, oh. my. goodness! Why have I never had such yumminess before? Regardless, my new project is to try to bake some myself. I am so not a cook, but I'm going to give these a try. Lately, I've had major macaroon tunnel vision, so I have to give it a shot - succeed or fail.

Anyway, there are 2 recipes I'm looking at. This one or this one. I plan to spend this week gathering up whatever I need and this weekend I will become a Parisian baking queen. :)

Hope everyone has une semaine magnifique!

rainy night

With all the rain and thunder in the sky tonight, I've decided it's a good night to curl up with my space heater and spend a little quality blog time. :)

In spite of all my slightly Debbie Downer posts about work, I'm feeling pretty good about things. Not letting the stress get to me so much, blah, blah. In fact, I've been spending a fair amount of time planning my next super special getaway. Nothing can quite compare to Paris, and while I've always wanted to see the world, my two top places have always been Paris and Ireland. With one under my belt, I'm anxious to hurry up and see number two.

As a humble government attorney, I actually have to save for a trip like this, so I've opened my Ireland savings account, am already pricing flights and hotels, and am starting an itenerary. So, hopefully by May 2012 I will be off on another dream vacay (this time for 2 weeks - 1 was not enough). I am beyond excited! It's been a great distraction from the unpleasant things and has created enough motivation in me to keep pushing through the tough spots.

better times

For all of my complaining yesterday, today turned into a pretty nice day. Maybe all my inspirational museum time is actually working. :) Anyhow, I spent the last hour or so at work starting some major overhauling and re-organizing in my office. I moved offices several months ago and ever since then I've never been able to get settled. As in, there are stacks of binders/documents lining the walls of my office, none of my decor has been hung on the walls, etc. It's just been difficult getting the motivation and time to put things the way I want them. Well, that changed starting today, and I've decided I just need to take things a little at a time, so I don't become overwhelmed to the point where I just don't do anything at all.

I've also decided that I need a separate calendar for my personal things. Everything has been maintained in my work calendar, and while it seemed like the most efficient way to keep up with everything, I just think it's time to keep work to-dos and personal to-dos separate and see how it goes. :)

more inspiration

Ok, I just had to make sure I post this before I forget, but my new obsession = museum shops! And, the fact that you can shop online is absolutely fabulous! Two of my favorites are The Museum Store Company and the Boutiques de Musees. How fabulous to buy jewelry and home decor that has meaning and history behind them. I've had a blast over the past couple of weeks looking through these sites and I think you will too! Enjoy!

cupcake = inspiration

Speaking of inspiration, just had to post this pic of me at a local cupcakery from this past Friday. I had a cherry coke cupcake. It.Was.Delish!

art, inspiration, help!

Another weekend, another art museum. :) This weekend, I found myself at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. A particular favorite of mine, since it brings back fond childhood memories when my mom would take me there. It had been well over 10 years since I visited, and since I was in town, I decided it was time to go back. Lots of changes and improvements, but the parts of the museum that were special to me were still there. Anyway, here are some pieces that stood out to me during this trip:


The Captive Bird by Nicolas Lancret - just love the 18th century-ness of this one


The Eiffel Tower by Henri Rousseau - love for obvious reasons


Seated Woman by Pablo Piccaso - there's not much by him that doesn't capture my attention



There's something in me that is feeling severely disjointed, for lack of a better word. I've never hidden the fact that my job, while tolerable and more times than not even enjoyable, sometimes leaves me feeling less than fulfilled. My discontent tends to come in waves, which I sometimes think has more to do with whether work is busy enough to distract me from that discontent than whether I'm truly feeling happy. I know that I wear myself out, take on much more than I should, and push myself oftentimes over the limit. Whatever it is, I'm about to scream. I need inspiration. I need fulfillment. I need joy. I've been telling myself for years that I have to spend more time on my personal life, doing things outside of work that bring meaning to me, but I always find myself falling pathetically short of accomplishing that.

So, I suppose that is why I keep reaching out to things that will kick-start my imagination, creativity, and (hopefully!) my focus on what I want for my life - job and all. I feel like I keep going through this exercise only to fall off and into the same funk that makes me unhappy. Anyone know what I mean?

Don't be surprised if you find more museum posts from me in the near future. :)

un autre bon week-end

Another fun filled weekend for moi! It's a nice change and one I'm hoping to maintain. :) Yesterday, my sweetie and I spent the afternoon at a 1st birthday party for our friends' son. It consisted of lots of food, lots of babies, and a sunny day by the pool.

Today, we visited the gorgeous McNay Art Museum . I posted a few pics below.













And, now, I'm back home with my puppies enjoying the last of another fab weekend.

le week-end

Here's to the end of a fabulous weekend! I was looking forward to some downtime at ma maison, but that was not to be. Yesterday, my sweetie and a couple of friends headed to Port Aransas for a relaxing day at the beach. I lived in Corpus Christi for 2 years right after law school and never once went to the beach. I've just never been a beachy person, and I wasn't exactly thrilled to go yesterday, but I had an absolute blast and I now truly understand how relaxing crashing waves can be. :)

Today, I finally got to meet the phenomenal Kimberly Wilson! I've followed her blog and podcast for over 4 years, adore her TranquiliT clothing line, have participated in her online creativity circles, and, of course, have read her books. She's a great inspiration and it was good to finally meet her in person. So glad she finally decided to come to Texas!

Anyway, it's now time to regroup and prepare for the upcoming week. There is some pretty serious work drama going on that's going to require a lot of deep breathing so I can maintain my sanity. We'll see how it goes . . .


me at the beach


kimberly & me

inspirations

So, I've been kind of obsessing over 18th century decor. Maybe it has a little something to do with my recent trip to Versailles. :) Anyway, today I'm in a blue/white mood, so here are some pictures that caught my eye today...

goo goo for Gaga

Just a quick post while I wait for my tea to steep and go to bed. I just finished watching an old interview with Lady Gaga and I just adore this girl! You have to love someone who totally lives their life for art. So gutless. :)

Speaking of guts, mine haven't been feeling too hot lately (I'm hoping this tea will help). It may have something to do with how badly I've eaten lately or my recent lack of exercise. So, I started redirecting myself by hitting the gym tonight and tomorrow will be the start of some much overdue healthy eating. We'll see how that works. :)

Bonne nuit!