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girl / house crush

Lake Bell.  You might not recognize the name right off the bat, but you know her the minute you see her.  She's been in a slew of movies (No Strings Attached, What Happens in Vegas, It's Complicated) and tv shows (How to Make it in America, The Practice, New Girl).

She is quirky and stunning...but in an approachable way (and you know me...I'm all about the stunning, yet approachable thing ;)).

She splits her time between LA and Brooklyn, and this week her LA home is featured on Vogue.com 

Check it out.....

love this

 

Photos by Claiborne Swanson Frank

advice to a 10 year old

As I mentioned yesterday, Ryan started 5th grade this week.  The big kid on campus.....or as my friend Mal has said 'she's now in her senior year....of elementary school'. ;)

Ryan and I were chatting the other day and we got to talking about kids in her grade...who she was friends with, etc.  She mentioned that one of these kids was 'popular'......and that she wished she was more popular.  This did two things to me..1). broke my heart a little bit  + 2). made me remember that I had that very same feeling when I was growing up.  I mean who doesn't want to be the cool kid, right?

My advice to her was what I finally learned over the past 41 years............just be yourself...the best possible version, and people will gravitate toward you.

I think even as adults we want people to like us, to think we're cool....and sadly, sometimes we get too wrapped up in that and we lose a little bit of ourselves.

I think Ms. Garland had it right...................





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reading nook

Now that summer vacation is officially over (Ryan started 5th grade this morning!), I plan on getting back to regular reading.  I have been wandering back + forth in between books (which really isn't my normal routine...I tend to stick to one book at a time) for the past 3 months.............with the exception of the 50 Shades trilogy (no judging!;)).

I love this picture from Reese Witherspoon's home in Ojai, California.  A perfect place to curl up with a book.......


What are you all currently reading these days?  Any good suggestions???

talk soon

cp

life lately

Hi there.

To say that I have sucked at posting lately would be a huge understatement.  HUGE.  I thought about posting each and every day......yet I let something get in the way each one of those days.

Here's to hoping I can turn that around!

Some highlights (in pictures and words) of what's been going on over the past two weeks:

• We celebrated Brett's 40th birthday...finally.  July 18th is his actual birthday, but that month was insane....so, we decided August would be better.  We had a small dinner party with close friends, and I would say it was a big success.  The food was good, and the company and laughter that ensued throughout the evening was even better.  When everyone had gone home and it was just the two of us, I asked him if he had a good time and he responded with 'I had a really great time'....so, I couldn't ask for anything more. :)
• Ryan is starting 5th grade (I swear to God I was just pregnant with her) in two days.  We went and met her teacher on Friday and we both thought she was awesome.  Mrs. Casey, we're excited to spend the year with you!
• I cut 4.5 inches off my hair.  I hadn't gotten a haircut since January <insert horrid gasp here> and I was ready for a change.  I can honestly say I walked out of the salon feeling like a new person. Like I had reinvented myself. ;)
• Brett and I have decided to celebrate our 15 years of marriage in one of our favorite cities....NYC.  We are finalizing the dates this week...and I am so excited to explore new areas!

Ok, a few pictures.....

my friend Jeffrey's new shoes...love!

new material for the magazine wh()re in me ;)

birthday party details

new assortment of headbands at JCrew....hmmmm, maybe with the shorter 'do...

new button downs ala JCrew

liking the new way to arrange books!

care for a scarf?

new iphone case....omg, I'm becoming a collector of these....

cannot wait to read this.  I mean Brad + I are friends.....in my mind anyway ;)

some new school clothes for Ryan....a little ruffled top, skinny jeans, tulle skirt, a blazer...you know, the basics ;)

happy day mallory!

My post today is dedicated to my sweet friend, Mallory.   She is the kind of person who adds instant sparkle to any room, and I wish her a wonderful birthday!!!



urban treehouse

My brother + I never had a treehouse growing up.  We had a lovely little backyard that we spent a ton of time in, but no little nook tucked into a tree.

When Brett and I moved into our current home there were remnants of what used to be a tree house....tucked high, high up in huge tree in our yard.  I think we both thought it would be cool to rebuild it, but we never got around to and then decided to take it down completely when Ryan was old enough to run around and play in the backyard....for fear that a random piece might fall down and hurt her + her playmates.

I stumbled upon this picture and had to share.  An old water tower in NYC, turned into a living space....an urban treehouse, if you will.  Tucked high above the city...giving a great view of the skyline and the neighborhood below.






A grown-up version of the treehouse.

Pretty awesome.  I'll have to keep a look out for this when we're in NYC this fall.

Did any of you have a treehouse growing up?

talk soon

cp

twinsies

Growing up, I always envied friends who shared their bedroom with a sibling.  They thought I was nuts, but in my mind I dreamt that they had these late night chats where they discussed everything from silly crushes and what to wear the next day, to how they could get their parents to do this or that.  Silly, I know.

If I had to share a room, I would love to share one of these.............Lee Kleinhelter knows how to put a room together, damn straight.

talk soon

cp

style crush: giovanna

Meet Giovanna Battaglia.....editor of L'Uomo Vogue, a freelance stylist and contributing fashion editor at W magazine. 

She's always impeccably put together, yet it's approachable in terms of fashion.

She makes it look easy, right?

talk soon
cp

tan feet...

are my favorite.  I know, it sounds weird...but that to me is the sign of a fantastic tan....once your feet are a nice golden brown.

and if you slip those tan feet into amazing sandals......well, that's even better. ;)

happy Wednesday everyone!

talk soon
cp