Happy Holidays!!

In our family, we celebrate both Chanukah and Christmas and this year, they happened to be at the same time.  So we had a very busy holiday season full of  good food, family, laughter, classic movies (It’s a Wonderful Life, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, etc.) and lots of other goodies.  Here are some pictures from the Holidays!  I hope each and every one of you had a lovely holiday as well!

Yummy latkes 🙂

French toast for Christmas morning....

Ida dressed up as a present for the occasion 🙂

Well, there you have it!  I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season!!

Au Naturale….

I believe that women have become too dependent on makeup.  I don’t mean that putting on a little mascara or lipstick is something to be frowned upon, but I do believe that it should be used in moderation.  I know that I often feel panicky if I’ve left the house without putting on some mascara.  Women have been taught for decades that going natural isn’t good enough and that looking like a barbie is better.  I disagree.  I know that some people might bring up the point that I wear quite a lot of makeup, but I wear it not with the intention of covering up every blemish and “correcting” things, but accentuating what I already have.  I’ve dealt with lots of body issues in my life, and by doing this post, I hope I can let go of some of those issues and start to respect my natural self a little bit more.

I also want to bring up another point: mean girls.  I don’t mean the movie, but the real mean girls.  The ones who like to tear everyone else down so that they feel above them.  I’ve been bullied before.  Called a loser for being homeschooled, called fat and worthless, among other things.  It took me a while to grasp the idea that maybe the things she was saying to me were really things she didn’t have the nerve to recognize in herself, but eventually I did.  I openly talked about my situation, and tried not to act like a victim, and the verbal abuse did ease up.  I know that a lot of pre-teens and teenagers, male and female, have similar experiences and it infuriates me to no end.  But what infuriates me even more, is the people who are their own bully.  They call themselves fat and ugly, and believe themselves to be unworthy of love.  They think “why can’t I be _____ like they are?”I have to admit that I’ve thought those things about myself , and I believe that most everyone has at some point.  But it needs to end.  We all need to wake up and realize that we’re all beautiful being different.  This isn’t the kind of world where everyone is exactly the same (thank goodness!) and it’s about time we came to terms with that.  So, without further adieu, I vow to respect myself, have more confidence, and not freak out if I leave the house looking natural.  Who wants to join me?

When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.

~ Lao Tzu

C’est l’automne en Florida….

I love this time of year.  The leaves are an assortment of reds and yellows.  Everything has a slightly orange tint to it.  Like old film from the 60s.  Here are some photos from a picnic with friends.  We found railroad tracks and an old abandoned house – quite a successful treasure hunt!

This is also the time of year that you find unexpected pops of color in an otherwise drab environment.

Here are some pictures from around my neighborhood:

So, there you have it!  What do you love about this time of year?

Holly’s Apartment

There is just something about Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The book, the movie, anything to do with Holly Golightly – I’m just completely obsessed with it. So you can see why I got ridiculously excited and had to share when I found out Holly’s New York apartment from the movie is up for sale!! That’s right, for a mere $5.85 million, you could live right where Ms. Golightly threw her wild cocktail parties (complete with the foot long cigerette holder,) drank champagne with Paul (while Cat watched from his perch,) and kept her collection of alligator shoes and black dresses. How I would love to spritz on perfume (kept in the downstairs mail box of course,) and dash outside to hail a cab. Quel fabulous!

http://curbed.com/archives/2011/12/09/holly-golightlys-breakfast-at-tiffanys-house-for-sale-1.php

*So apparently most of the interiors were filmed on a sound stage, but whateverrr…a girl can dream. If i had 5 or so million dollars to spare I would simply redo the inside (complete with sparse furnishings and an bathtub couch) to look just like her apartment.

If you could live in any movie/book character’s home, whose would it be? Personally, I’m quite sure that living in Holly Golightly’s apartment would be enough to keep away any case of the mean reds (or blues) for me!

A Few of My Favorite Things….

Today I’m having the Thursday blues, so here are some things I’ve looked at that have perked me right up!

And tonight The Mentalist comes on – Yay!!  I hope everyone is having a great week!

Downton Abbey Vogue

Is there anything better than a dramatic, British period drama set in the Edwardian Era? Because if so, I haven’t found it.  Obviously I’m talking about Downton Abbey, which I am massively obsessed with. (Thankfully they’re releasing a Christmas special, which I can’t wait for!)

Recently the three actresses who play the dramatic and catty Crawley sisters were featured in both Vogue and Vogue UK and the photos are gorgeous, needless to say.

Who’s your favorite Crawley sister? Despite her brattiness, I can’t help but feel for Mary, even though she is incredibly stuck on herself, I felt sorry for her through all of season 2 (which I stayed up late watching online, I couldn’t wait till January!)

Thanksgiving…..

Here are some very, very late photos from our Thanksgiving – enjoy!!

Ida really wanted the pecan pie!!

Yummmmm 🙂

Yay!  Now, I can’t wait for next Thanksgiving!!  I hope you all had great Thanksgivings 🙂

In (Somewhat) Recent News

I am a very bad blogger. I realize this. In my defense, these past two weeks have included 7 back to back days of morning to night rehearsals, three performances of The Nutcracker (the most fun I’ve had in years,) and inordinate amounts of fake snow, sequins and toe tape. Somewhere in there Thanksgiving also happened, which was a wonderful and much-needed break for my sore feet, and allowed my face a brief chance to breathe without an inch thick coating of makeup and fake eyelashes.

I don’t even understand how it ended up being December, but it is, which means it’s (past) time to start holiday shopping, dressing up in sparkly party dresses, and of course, planning for New  Years, which for me means the third annual jump into Wakulla Springs at 10am on New Years Day! (A natural spring in town with a 15 or so foot tall jumping platform. A 1st of the year tradition for me and a brave group of my friends.) It’s definitely a refreshing way to start the new year off with a bang, in an icy, teeth-chattery, hypothermic kind of way.

Here’s what’s been cooking and happening ’round here.

Shiny, pointe shoe-ed feet taking a break from rehearsals

An assortment of merlitons and flowers backstage

My first attempt at a sweet potato pie

 

and Ida's attempts to snag a Thanksgiving dinner

A super simple and delicious homemade pudding I'm dying to try

Hearty and filling mushroom bourguignon - recipe coming sooon...

Gorgeous holiday Banana Republic ads make me want to dye my hair red again...sigh.

 

Hope everyone is having a happy December so far!

Half Empty or Half Full?

With only one week of regular classes left before finals, I’m at the point where it’s just about impossible to stay focused on school. My mind has apparently already left for vacation. Unfortunately for me, there’s the slight issue of the remaining 5 or 6 (I refuse to count) papers to be turned in, oral exams, presentations, and final exams to be taken. Doubly unfortunate, is the fact that really all I can think about is my end-of-the-week reward of a Starbucks peppermint mocha that I’m so looking forward to, and mindlessly watching every episode of Sex and the City with absolutely no studying or flash cards that require my attention. On that note, I should probably get back to editing essay #5…

It’s times like this that the following poster really needs to be hanging on my wall.  I first saw these for sale in London two years ago, and now they’re allll the rage.

But admit it, how much more hilarious and awesome is this version? I think much more…

Just a wee bit more fitting for the week before finals, I’d say….

And on that note, how funny of a present would this glass make for someone who needs a little cheering up, or just always looks on the bright side?

http://www.fredflare.com/APARTMENT-kitchen-and-bar/Fred-and-Friends-Positivity-Glass/