Arkansas is fortunate to have such a vibrant art scene. In Little Rock alone there are scores of galleries filled with the works of dozens of incredibly talented artists. Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to collect a handful of great pieces from some of my favorite artists.
However my first purchase wasn’t from a fancy gallery show, but from an Easter Seals silent auction in 2002. Each year the students at the Easter Seals Arkansas center held a big art show featuring work created by the kids. Myself and another magazine coworker were invited to be judges for the show.
Anyway, the kids’ art was also up for auction to raise money, so I bid on a few things and won the above mixed-media piece that reminds me of all the fun I had with my little paint-spinner thing when I was a kid. It’s now hanging in a little nook between two light switches, in our oddly-shaped, pod-like hallway.
In the early days of the magazine I worked for, some new titles were launched, including At Home in New Orleans. There was a huge launch party, complete with people arriving in stretch Hummers (*gag*) and Robin Leach as the event’s host. Yeah, that Robin Leach. I didn’t go, as it was just for the top of the masthead, but we all got to see the unintentionally hilarious DVD chronicling the night. And I think we can agree it all pretty much went down hill from there.
However, the best thing to come out of the whole flustercluck were the great launch party posters designed by the senior designer at the time, Amy (Colclasure) Vaughn. Entitled Voodoo House, I love the color scheme and the Beetlejuice-esque house. She couldn’t believe the first time she saw it hanging in the kitchen of our old house, but she’s a phenomenal illustrator and I just love this. And it also looked fabulous in that orange kitchen!
More canine silliness, thanks to the unexpected snow storm we woke up to today!
Snow in central Arkansas is a rarity at best, maybe once or twice a year we get a little “wintry mix” of sleet and snow. And despite the fact that last week it was almost 70 degrees, all week there has been talk of a WINTER STORM WATCH. And so today we woke up to sleet showers and freezing-cold wind. Global warming much?
By this afternoon the showers had tapered off and we took the dogs out to play. Bailey (the big goofy one) and Céilí (the little princess) are both 9-years-old; we’ve had her since she was a puppy, and adopted Bailey when he was around 2. They’re our babies, our precious little children, and they are completely spoiled rotten. And they’re also tons of fun—as evidenced here.
And now, after all the yucky sleet, it’s finally snowing tonight. Not supposed to last very long, but hopefully in the morning we’ll have a little more snow to play in, and more videos to share.
Being the lucky girl that I am, I recently won a trial set of John Frieda’s new Root Awakening haircare products from Ideeli. Before becoming an Aveda girl a few years ago, I was dedicated to JF’s Sheer Blonde collection, and still rotate the shampoo through my otherwise-Aveda haircare regimen. His drugstore lines have always been salon-worthy at half the cost, and I hoped this one would be as well.
So I was very excited to get to try out my little Root Awakening set, which included the Nourishing Moisture shampoo and conditioner for dry hair, as well as the Health Boosting detangling spray for all hair types. The products are infused with natural Eucalyptus, which helps “hydrate the scalp and nourish hair from roots to ends…for increased shine, bounce and manageability.”
I for one can attest that those claims are indeed true. The first time I tried the products was on a Friday, and I was immediately impressed. Not only did the shampoo and conditioner smell fantastic, my hair was noticeably softer and shinier after just one use. Even better, it stayed this way all weekend, and was delightfully frizz- and static-free, despite the cold weather and hats and scarves coming in contact with my hair. And the detangling spray is super lightweight; it left my hair completely residue free, another issue I’ve always encountered, thanks to my thin fine locks.
Alternating the Root Awakening shampoo and conditioner with my Aveda over the past few weeks has really helped prolong the pretty in my hair, keeping it soft and easy to style. I’ve always been a fan of using two different sets of shampoo and conditioner, and this will likely stay in the rotation for a while. Thanks Ideeli!
*cue Montell Jordan*
My husband Matt and I have had our own home-alone Thanksgiving for at least seven of the 10 years we’ve been together. His (crazy) family is out west, and my (crazy) family is nearby. So after a couple of Thanksgivings with mine, we decided to do our own thing, partly because that was around the time I really got into cooking and we turned into Food Network junkies and Gourmet magazine subscribers. And yes, although I love them dearly, also partly because they’re completely exhausting (except grandma) and Christmas is only a freakin’ month away.
So instead of a long stressful day, it’s leisurely and fun, just cooking and hanging out, watching the parade and football, and poring over the Completely Ginormous Thanksgiving Newspaper and its endless supply of Black Friday ads and mini-catalogs. Even though we have absolutely no intention of getting close to a mall. (Except a couple of years ago when we braved the big electronics stores and got our big fabulous flat screen for a song)
Anyway, I make breakfast, usually homemade blueberry scones or these yummy sausage and cheese rolls that are insanely delicious. But this year, because Matt has an addiction…
…Williams-Sonoma’s quick bread. Particularly the spiced pecan pumpkin variety. It’s so damn good; so good that he’ll bake it himself, and that is particularly delightful. After breakfast and newspaper and all that, we get finally get to business. This year’s it’s the “not too many damn sides” version of our traditional menu—brined and roasted turkey, chestnut, pancetta and ciabatta dressing, two casseroles and some bread. The turkey and dressing are obviously the stars of the show, and the recipes we’ve tweaked over the years are after the jump. Enjoy!
When I first started this blog at the beginning of the year, it was over at wordpress.com. I used the Vigilance theme because I liked the look and layout, and wanted a custom header. Tonight, after toying around with my old theme and other new ones, I decided to go back to my old favorite. The options are great, clean simple design, nice and neat. Except that they want a $44 lifetime membership to be able to use a custom header. Suck. So for now I’m back to playing around with this theme, new organization, different features, sans custom header. I’m sure the membership offers lots of fine stuff, I admit to not reading it, just balking at the fact that I had to pay to use my logo. Which, if I decide to stick with Vigilance, is totally going to be redesigned. Finally.
What do you want to see more of? Less of? Suggestions are always appreciated!
xoxo Mel
