Love Birds { No. 5 }

Babies ♥ I LOOOVE babies. Their smell, their smiles, their chubby little baby necks. There isn't much I wouldn't do to steal kisses from a sleeping baby either; that sweet baby breath and fluttering eyelids, completely peaceful and innocent. It's easy to loose yourself in those moments with them. I know I try to do it as often as possible ♥ I always thought my parents were a little bit crazy when they told me how fast time goes by; that's a hard concept to grasp when your young and it feels like you will be seven foooreeeverrr! I think it takes becoming a parent to really understand just how fleeting these days are. And I can't stand it. I also can't tell you how many times when I have rocked my littlest to sleep, or my older son says something completely hilarious and sweet, that I have stopped and just thought (well more wished, like you do when your eternally seven and all you want is for your mom to turn into Dolly Parton) 'Please never, never grow up'. Because you know that inevitably it's going to happen but there is a little tiny bit of you that thinks maybe if you hope against hope hard enough, time just might stand still. Or for heavens sake at least slow down a bit!

My combined love of babies, and capturing these moments and memories led me to Meg Fish. She is a photographer I found in Santa Barbara, and specifically focuses on pregnancy and newborn. As soon as you look at her work you can understand why; she is immensely talented! Not to mention she is very sweet, patient and truly loves what she does. She has a very tranquil and ethereal aesthetic that perfectly conveys all the love that is wrapped up in these tiny little bundles. She was kind enough to share her talent with me and I would like to now share with you. You can see all her work here and she also has a yummy little blog which she posts some of her stunning work on here She has a new little one herself, who is absolutely darling, and I must say if I had her talent I would never get anything done because I would be forever snapping away at my own babies!

I am, of course, particularly proud of her shots of my own blissful little baby but there is a shot on her blog of a brand new baby asleep on the back of a horse that is beyond beautiful! It almost makes me want to have another baby ... almost XO-'83

Love Birds { No. 4 }

Orange ... I can't explain it but lately I have been loving a whole lot of orange. Anyone who knows me will understand just how big an anomaly this really is. You walk into my closet and its a neutral paradise, filled with every shade of grey, white, black, and beige under the sun. I generally consider navy to be a pop of color. I had to think about it for two weeks before I bought my son red sheets. I did buy a pair of pink shoes once when I was feeling particularly frisky ... see, color is a huge commitment for me. But these days I see orange and I want need it; clothes, accessories, bedding, and all types of various home adornments. I love all shades, from coral to rust, muted to bright (thankfully I haven't forayed into neon territory yet!). And I want to pair it with every other color I see: blue, oat, aqua, bright white, pinks and reds, and especially grey ♥

Therein lies the fantastic news(!) my wardrobe is FULL of those colors; boring and unassuming, just crying out for a little orange. Obviously I am more than happy to oblige. The only problem I find myself running into is mustering up the gumption to leave the house in it. I am a bit afraid of unknowingly looking like a big, happy, creamsicle (or rather a family of creamsicles, as I also wish to dress my boys in orange)

It's so cheerful and fun ... you know, come to think of it, I have been feeling especially optimistic these days! Maybe my new found affinity for it comes from my excitement for the future, or feeling like spring is just around the corner, but seeing it instantly makes me feel more creative and inspired. Well, whatever it is that has brought about this surprising color change of heart, I think I'm going to run with it ♥ XO -'83

Love Birds { No. 3 }

Ah, Paris ~ can you imagine a more romantic place?? It is the quintessential Valentines Day destination, non?? Ok a little confession, I have never actually been there persay, but I do have lovely little day dreams about it quite often and I took two years of french in high school ... that counts for something right? The point is, that if the Parisian reality of it all isn't everything my dreams are made of, then I would prefer to remain blissfully unaware.

I adore images of Paris, with the amazing architecture and gorgeous design, the opulent intérieurs; I find it all so charming ♥ Every time I see photos of a perfectly staged Parisian apartment I start itching to buy obscenely ornate white furniture, or something gold and baroque, or velvet, or...

So until the day comes that I find myself in Paris with my own handsome Valentine I will just continue to lust after their macaroons, fashion {talk about a love affair ♥ ♥}, and fabulous corner cafes. I will keep shamelessly forcing my son to learn the words to Frère Jacques, while I pretend to be Marion Cotillard giving a garden party at Versailles. Qu'ils mangent du gâteau! XO -'83

Love Birds { No. 2 }

Vintage. Vintage. Vintage! That's what I am loving today. Well, actually I love it everyday. I love vintage jewelry, and clothes, and photos; but mostly I love vintage furniture ♥ ♥ ♥ In fact I don't have enough hearts to express just how much I love it. Suffice it to say, it's a lot. I also love parties (oh, that one will be getting its very own day!) and last weekend the most miraculous thing happened .... these two things collided in a most marvelous and serendipitous way...

See I've had my heart set on featuring some head turning, vintage furniture at a very special upcoming soiree, but had no idea where in the world I would be finding the kind of pieces that existed in my mind. Then in a moment of semi-divine, internet intervention, there it was ... Found. No really, it was called Found. A vintage rentals company in L.A., and the answer to all my {furniture} prayers!!!

Here is just a sneak peek of a few of the pieces I have coming my way, which is just a taste of what they have to offer. Loves! You can view their extensive inventory here, but consider yourself warned that you may just fall hopelessly in love.

They have been a dream to work with; anyone who shares my love of fabulous vintage furniture and has taste that good, is a friend of mine. The only down side to all this is how I am ever going to bring myself to part with them. Oh, I hate goodbyes. XO-'83

Love Birds { No. 1 }

In honor of Valentines Day being exactly one week away, I've decided to create a post each day filled with goodies, inspiration, and just general, all-around loveliness!

I am a huge Etsy fan, and I love when someone can point me in the direction of a new and wonderful store (since you can easily spend all day lost in Etsy wonderland and still miss little gems like these!) One of my favorite blogs introduced me to this one and it truly was as splendid as promised! Of course, I quickly had a cart full of trims, tags, and all the fabulous adornments a girl needs for some first rate DIY Valentines ♥

Inspire Lovely (a fantastically appropriate name!) specializes in those finishing touches that makes something remarkable, and is chalk full of all the makings you need to bring the projects in your imagination to life.

I know that I am so looking forward to the many, many more Inspire Lovely purchases in my future ♥ And you simply must go check them out here ~Inspire Lovely~ XO-'83

Barbara Nell

A few evenings ago I found my husband in the kitchen mixing up some yummy, tropical cocktails for us after the kids were in bed. Besides being completely delicious (and one itty-bitty umbrella short of perfect), it instantly reminded me of my Grandmother. Liquor and your Grandmother you ask?? Well, it was only because I noticed that in his pile of ingredients were some of those tiny cans of Dole pineapple juice. She always had those little cans of juice at her house, and to a little girl, they seemed like such a special treat ♥ ♥ It got me thinking about her....

She was a southern girl gone west, and she is my "Grandy". Oh, she is decidedly southern in many ways; she loves her food fried - fried okra, fried fish, hush puppies, and a favorite was fried dove. She likes her melon salted and her crackers buttered. The family peach cobbler recipe is my great, great, Aunt Loby's and calls for "an eggs worth of butter". We have always been her "Fweethearts", she declared many things ... as in "Well, I declare..", and she often blesses our hearts, i.e., "Well, bless your heart". When she meets someone new she becomes infinitely more southern, the ya'll-s become thicker and she, more coquettish. She never receives company without full hair, make-up, and heels (and by company, I mean anyone). See, she isn't just a woman, she is a lady.

However, that being said, she is a lady of the finest sort; the kind full of moxie and a sweet streak of tomboy thrown in. She had a favorite walnut tree she climbed well into her college years, and a mother, Annie Mae, who was a very fine hunter and fisherman fisherwoman. She was school teacher, like her mother before her, and taught both here and abroad. She is mother to five children and raised them mostly on her own. Everything she did took determination and courage. Growing up, I remember her always with a song on her lips and a twinkle in her eye; you never knew what was coming but chances are it was probably going to be fun. She taught me songs that I still remember, and that nobody else my age knows (save for my sisters of course!) and that I fully intend on passing down. She's a perfect mix of refinement, and mischief. My Mother is like her in more ways than one (just don't tell her that!) and all of them are great. They are both strong, creative, brave, playful, and love whole heartedly ... And they are both truly an inspiration to me.

...In fact, I do declare that she will make a most perfect muse for a proper, southern party someday soon! Who wants to make the mint juleps?! XO-'83

Cat's Meow

Suffice it to say that fashion has never been my forte! So my fellow birds of the feather have to help me flock towards anything fashionable…

I admit that whenever I try to pick out any type of clothes or shoes, I have to pass it through my (learned the hard way) test; Would this likely be seen on any reasonable person over age 65? Sadly, more often than not the answer is yes. Great news – I now know that means back to the rack it goes! You see, the rest of our breed has fashion down. Sure it helps that one lives in California and the other is still part of the in-crowd, or at least this is what I tell myself. Truth is I think the fashion jean just skipped me and they each got an extra ½ dose. Don’t despair; they also got a fair dash of generosity and sense of obligation towards their kin. Not only have they shared their expertise but also their leftover clothes. Their hand-me-downs are probably a season behind for them but light years ahead for me. They also have a knack for organizing and purging a closet to boot! While doing a clothes inventory recently I discovered my closet is not so void of vogue these days. The sisterly help in purging my closet, equal to donations to my fashion fund has left me with almost entirely with a bequeathed boutique; hence fashion heaven for me!

Don’t forget the gifts... I am now hooked on fancy pants! Yes these are the ones that are not Levi or Wrangler brand and cost over $25.00. But boy can they start the day off right!! Add a great pair of shoes (oh how I love) and a donated top – viola. I love the feeling of leaving the house in a good outfit. Many a time I have received compliments on an outfit and had to confess that, out of the whole get-up, the only self purchased item was the undergarments!

So now I share with you a few tidbits learned along the way: Navy and black can be worn with jeans; shirts should go past your waist but your pants should not go above your belly button; flip flops and high heels are appropriate footwear for jeans; belts can be worn so high that it double as bosom support (ok, almost); its posh to spend an inordinate amount of money for new jeans that they have already worn out and ripped for you; and my favorite so far – jeans have whiskers and, properly placed, can enhance your figure. So thanks to advice from my fashionable feathers and picture message double checks they just might turn me into the Cat’s Meow yet! ~'79