Are They Bringing Eko Back?

I wish.

Chadwick Matlin gears up for Lost Season 6 on Slate... along with a few other guys.

He's not Doc Jensen from EW, but I'll pretty much read anything the internet gives me if it theorizes on Lost.

What the hey, here's a sample from Jensen, too.

Austin Itch

I feel like C and I both get the itch to go to Austin on a regular basis... especially in the spring and fall. With last week's rash of temperate weather, it's quite unsurprising that he mentioned it the other day. We're saving money, so we're not going anywhere right now.

Buuuut if we were, this is the weekend vacation I'd plan.

STAY:

Hotel San Jose





or Kimber Modern





or (if we're feeling like rich hipsters) Hotel Saint Cecilia

Apartment Therapy has an article on Cecilia






EAT AND DRINK:

Kerbey Lane Cafe



Juan in a Million




Amy's Ice Cream



Jeffrey's



Fliphappy Crepe Trailer



The Grist Mill



Gruene Hall



Big Top Candy Shop



If we had any spare time between all that eating, we'd hang out in Zilker Park or float the Comal/Guadalupe or walk around on South Congress or hike Enchanted Rock or go to the San Marcos Outlet Stores. I love Austin!

I have something to tell you.

I just saw this picture. Probably on House of Turquoise. I don't know. I wouldn't try to imitate this in my own home. Maybe this is like an ironic take on something or an emerging trend, but I would say by and large it is not a look that any one I know would consciously pursue. It's pretty country. And not many people are into that. But I'm sure it was done intentionally and put in some magazine...

But anyway what I'm trying to say is that, despite that, there's something about this picture that made me stop and (dramatic I know) catch my breath a little. There is something very familiar about this picture. Something about it makes me sigh. and slow. and look at it a little closer.

Who hasn't been in a house like this? Well, maybe you haven't. if you grew up in a city. and all your relatives live in cities. But I feel like I've visited great aunts or cousins removed who lived in houses that looked like this. Houses where the bedrooms are sort of dim and smell like old woman perfume and the kitchen is always hot and kids are running around. I've seen horizontal wood panels like that and a rocking chair and a hooked rug or something and a stained antique piece that came from even older relatives, but what makes me nostalgic and what makes the whole picture--don't you already know--is the screen door. Don't you think that if you walked over to the door and looked through that you'd see your Family out there with plates of potato salad and fried chicken and your mom in shorts with a glass of iced tea balanced on the porch rail? and bluebonnets and weeds and junk beyond that? and I would feel a little uneasy because I've always been shy and because I didn't know my Old Washington cousins that well. But it's the imagined view from the door, that hidden view beyond the door, that lack of an answer, that makes it beautiful to me and, I would think, appealing to many people.

Maybe I'm just being sentimental this morning or maybe it's the rain. But I looked at that sunny, plain space, and there was just something about it.

From The Sartorialist

Precious Portraits

Sharon Montrose has some sweet animal portraits on Etsy. Aside from Piglet and Baby Porcupine shown here, I also especially loved Miniature Donkey and any of the lamb ones.

Four Sofas and a Settee

Since I'm talking furniture, I might as well throw these out there. This is Sadie from Jayson. Tufts plus single seat cushion. She's done in a burlap/linen. I like to think of this shape as an updated Chesterfield.



This is Abbott, my long-time obsession.




This is Loring from Room and Board. Pretty in taupe velvet and swoop arms.





Room and Board's Hutton, who comes in so many perfect velvety colors.



As promised, the Madeline settee from Jayson.

Pair of Chairs

I stole the pretty, matching, turquoise ikat chairs from House of Turquoise.

Currently, we have a pair of matching Goodwill chairs in our living room that I'm slowly growing to hate. They've been painted and recovered, and I used to love them, but now all I think is that the silhouette belongs in a dentist's office and I must have been on crack when I picked out that fabric.

I'm not getting my pair o chairs any time soon, but I've been looking at some cute couples.




Meet Hugo from Jayson Home and Garden. He's out of my price range, but it's free to look, right? I like this in the rough leather... but I'm hoping to some day get a straight-sided, roughed up leather sofa, so if I'm planning ahead, I probably shouldn't go after leather chairs, too. I'm a little afraid of large doses of leather furniture, also. Additionally, I can't imagine Barcelona chairs are really that comfortable.


I luv Canopy chairs. This one is from Jayson, too. I think they have a pair of this exact one at the Fort Worth Tillman's. I also like that it has a great big presence with actually taking up much floor space.



This guy is the Delano from Jayson. Nailheads and velvet and square. I do.





I put the Sienna on here just for contrast. White leather is scary, so I don't think I could ever come close to it, but I like the shape. FYI, Sienna costs close to $4000.



The Cameron from J.C. Penny's is almost exactly the same shape (ignore that ugly pillow) and in a much more appealing leather, and it only costs $899... which is still more than I can afford, but at least in the realm of reality.




Colin from Jayson is totally the wrong color, but I love wing chairs... but only if the wings aren't too overpowering and make the shape top-heavy. For the sake of price comparison again, the Jayson wing is around $1000 more than the following Ballard wing. Shocking!




This wing chair from Ballard is more traditional, but I'd get it in the ecru velvet like this, and that could be nice. One of my biggest time wasters is trying out different fabrics on different furniture on Ballard's website.




Like Linley from Ballard again, I like her best in linen.



And the Strasbourg in black linen stripe.



In all honesty, if I could actually get a pair of chairs right now, this willow print chair is what I'd probably get. I like the clean lines. I like the swoop arms. Our furniture is pretty thick around the ankles, so I like the legs on this one. I like the neutral pattern. But best of all, I like that it's from Target, and it's the most reasonably-priced one of the bunch.

Houseguest

W came to visit this weekend. I wish I had taken more pictures, but I forgot until that night.


This is after eating lunch at Jake's with Mimi, Poppa, and Uncle Carter, after going to the store, after playing with Lu, after playing with the toys Monique brought, after going for a walk, after watching everyone throw the football, after getting really muddy in the backyard, after throwing chicken nugget bits to Lu during dinner, and after taking a bath.


It is also after falling down twice on his face and getting a big red bump on his left eyebrow b/c he had on slippery socks while running around on the hard wood floors. Woops. We put his shoes back on to help with traction.


Everyone was tired that night b/c no one had gotten a nap that day, so we snuggled on the couch. Everyone slept really well because everyone was so tired.

We woke up the next morning, and W had a full diaper. Mom had warned me that he had "loose stool" b/c he had gotten a shot on Friday. Nevertheless, I changed the diaper. It was gross, but we survived. Then we cleaned up and got ready for church.


We had breakfast and even had enough time to play with Lu for a minute before we left.


All in all, I think everyone would say it was a fun and informative Saturday night.

Product Placement

Carter and I had happy hour on the back porch last week. We ate chips and salsa and I made pico... which I know is just salsa that hasn't gone through the blender, but our purchased pico had too much black pepper in it for me. I hate salsa with a lot of black pepper. Salsa should be heavy on the lime and cilantro in my book. We didn't even have dinner that night b/c we ate way too many Julio's. Have you tried Julio's? They good.

We also had sangria...

1. Boil about a cup of water with about half a cup (maybe more) of sugar and half a bag of frozen raspberries. Boil the water until the sugar is all melted and steep the berries as long as you can stand it. For me that's about 5 minutes.

2. Strain all the liquid into a big pitcher. Mashing the berries into the sieve and scraping the thick fruity mush off the bottom to add to your pitcher. You may be able do this without getting raspberry splash all over you, but alas, I cannot.

3. Tell your husband to clean up the mess you just made. (Just kidding... kinda.)

4. Pour in a bottle a red wine. If you can swing it, a bottle that has dark fruity notes like cherries or blackberries is best. If not, who cares?

5. Pour in lemon soda or Sprite or bubbly whatever to taste. I would say about a fourth of a two liter bottle at the most (that would be half a liter if you're counting).

6. Squeeze some lemons, limes, and/or oranges in there.

7. Pour it over ice and love it.

Urban Home Goods

I love turquoise. I love only $4.00.




Tuxedo quilt in white for the guest room?



Velvet and pushing the boundary between turquoise and peacock blue.



For the powder room?



It's a pouf, and it could go anywhere.