A Heavy Heart

"Life is eternal and love is immortal.  And death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." - Rossiter W. Raymond


Thinking of my friend, who lost her father today.

Meryl + Kramer vs Kramer

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The other night, we watched Kramer vs Kramer.  Now, all I can think about is not only how beautiful Meryl is but the roles she chose to play in her early days of acting.  Her role as Joanna Kramer in this film is not a likeable character, but she did such an excellent job of making me not like her, of making the audience feel her pain but also pain for her husband and son.  Even though her time on screen was short, she did everything an actress could do  to suck you into their lives, to her unhappiness.   It was magical.  The emotions I was left with after the film are hard to describe.  But I do know that I was impressed and can honestly say I understand why it won so many Oscars.  I get chills when I think about the opening of the film - of how intense and sad it was between her and her son (who, by the way, knew how to tug at our heartstrings).  

Have you seen this film?  What is your favorite role that Meryl has played?  Do you have any recommendations for other films like this to watch?

Looking Polished

I love painted nails - it's rare to find my nails naked anymore.  Not only do I enjoy the process of painting them (some times not) but I love the wide variety of color you can use to fancy em up.  Spring always leaves me leaning toward lighter colors - mainly of the pastel kind.  Last year, I practically went through the entire bottle of China Glaze's Refreshmint - a lovely shade of mint green that I'm still pretty into.  So I thought today I'd share with you some colors my hands are trying to grab onto for spring...

Butter - Teddy Girl

I've really been wanting to try out butter nail polish, mainly for the non-toxic aspect but also for their understanding of what a girl like me wants out of her polish.  Healthy nails, trendy colors and a fun description that makes me love my favourite Brit that much more.  This color in particular has a nice pastel feel, perfect for spring.

RGB - Coral

RGB is another one of those nail polish brands I've yet to try, but want to try for the same reasons as Butter.  It's free of harmful chemicals and it comes in a variety of awesome shades.  The coral shade above is a beautiful hue of orange-red that would look amazing on the hands of everyone.

O.P.I. - Funky Dunkey

I had a manicure last year and chose a grape color very similar to this.  It was really fun to wear and it constantly made me crave candy (mainly Sprees and Skittles).  Plus, it's fun to tell people the name of your polish is "funky dunkey".  You can say things like, "what the Funky Dunkey?!" and "who the Funky Dunkey is that?!"

Zoya - Christina

I've also never worn Zoya, but again, it's non-toxic.  This shade is one of those kinds of shades that is really perfect all year round.  It could be the best winter white, or a really soft spring shade.  It's shimmery with a touch of silver and gray.  Hooray!

Rescue Beauty Lounge - Starfish-Patrick

Did I choose this one simply because I love Patrick? Maybe.  But I also chose this unfortunately sold-out shade because it is the perfect blend of peach-meets-coral and my fingers long to be covered in it.

Essie - Da Bush

I saved the best for last.  This Essie polish (available in May) has stolen my heart...for now.  It's the perfect follow up to last years mint craze and I want to wear it NOW!  

What do you think, friends? What shades do you like to sport come springtime?  

Pony and Poppy

Friends, I am in love with Pony and Poppy - an Etsy shop out of North Carolina.  Isn't everything in her shop just lovely?  I'm obsessed with the rain cloud linen tea towels and the matryoshka ones as well.  Everything shop owner Amy makes, I am smitten with.  What do you think?  I think you might love her and the shop even more after you read her delightful shop profile.

Weekend Recap

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Yet another fine weekend for the books, my friends.  How about you?  The weather this weekend was pretty incredible - it's hard to even believe still because today is another dreary and chilly day.  Yesterday, I do believe the high was around 85.  SAY WHAT?  Oh yes.  It truly made for the most amazing Sunday in Chicago in a very, very long time.  Some highlights of the weekend include ::

• Ordering in and spending the night on the couch together watching Breaking Bad and It's Kind of a Funny Story (it was kind of a funny story, thanks to Zach Galifiankis)
• Megan's bridal shower! I had lots of fun on the way to, during and on the way home from the shower.  It was so nice to see her and all of her friends, plus it's pretty funny to say I spent my Saturday afternoon at the country club...
• Dinner at Ciao Napoli.  Holy me oh my, this dinner blew my socks off.  Mainly because we splurged and had an appetizer, beer/wine, an entree each AND dessert.  We never do that, but it was so worth it.  Affogato, anyone?
• Trivial Pursuit - we played against each other and lo and behold...I WON! I don't know if I've ever won TP in my life playing solo.  Especially against my husband, he is a really smart dude.  So needless to say,  I was pleased as (mo) pie.
• Chicago Botanic Gardens (image above, although it really did not look that way).  Since the weather was perfect yesterday, we opted to spend our afternoon strolling through the gardens.  It was almost the perfect place to go, except for the fact that NOTHING was in bloom.  Okay, there were a handful of flowers in bloom and some veggies sprouting in the fruit and vegetable section, but other than that everything was pretty dead still.  It was kind of sad.  Plus, they should definitely lower the parking fare for off-peak seasons.  However, being outside for a few hours straight in a beautifully landscaped area when its 85 degrees in early April is pretty amazing if I do say so.
• Homemade risotto.  Mmmmmm.

How were your weekends? If you were in Chicago, how did you take advantage of the beautiful day?

Have a sunny weekend!

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The weekend, wahoo!  What are your plans?  I know I'm a little late with this post and most of your weekends are in full force right now, but I'm still curious!  My friend Megan is in town from Brooklyn for her bridal shower and I'm anxious to see her, give her a hug and eat some good finger foods.  The weather is supposed to be warm, but after these last few days it's kind of hard to believe that to be true.  But here's to hoping that we Chicagoans get to enjoy sunny skies and 70 degree temps!  We deserve it, you know?  

Other than the shower, not much is planned.  A trip to the grocery store is in order, I want to read a ton of my current book (Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins) which Gus is really enjoying too (I like to read aloud and every single time I do, whether he's in one of his crazy moods or not, he'll immediately come plop down next to me and doesn't get up until I stop!) and we'll probably watch some more Breaking Bad season 2...my oh MY is it good.  Whatever you get up to, enjoy every last bit of your weekend!

Friday's Fancies

It's Friday again, so naturally that means I've linked on up to {long distance loving}'s Friday's Fancies!

Friday's Fancies by Meaganpie featuring pocket dresses

Calypso pocket dress, $295
K Jacques k jacques sandal, $225
Tory Burch satchel handbag, 405 GBP
Vanessa Mooney indian jewelry, $250
Ray Ban ray ban shade, $99

Today's look (all costs aside) was designed for a bridal shower I'm attending tomorrow.  I haven't been to a bridal shower since my own, so I'm very much looking forward to it.  Our friends Megan & Daniel are getting hitched in June here in Chicago, even though they moved to Brooklyn a few years ago.  It's really coming up quick and I can't wait! Plus, my husband is officiating their sure-to-be lovely ceremony.  But really, I just can't wait to see their lovely faces.

I really wish I could own these pieces.  The Calypso St. Barth dress would be perfect for so many different occasions (hello, beach!) and that Tory Burch bag has Mo written all over it.

I hope you enjoy these Friday's Fancies posts as much as I love to create them.  Also, head on over to {long distance loving} to wish her and her hubs a happy anniversary!

Lusting for :: Suno

Just some bright pieces to admire from Suno, a Kenyan-inspired brand based out of New York City.  I love all the prints, especially since the textiles were collected from visits to Kenya but also that the brand employs local Kenyan talent.

Mad for triangles

Triangles, triangles, triangles! I can't seem to get enough of them - they're popping up everywhere and have been for awhile now.  Isn't it amazing how such a simple, standard shape can look so neat in so many different ways?  From quilts, to jewelry to clothing - it's a design trend that I can't get enough of.

I'm seriously lusting after the mod triangle walls - how fun would it be to stencil a room in this pattern?

PS - My lovely sister-in-law's shop The Big Harumph will be giving away two prints to a lucky fan on Facebook when she reaches 250 fans.  Why not 'like' her shop on Facebook for a chance to win?!

From left to right, top to bottom ::
1. Brandi Strickland print  2. The Polka Dot Magpie necklace  3.  Christina Pires dress  4.  No Milk Today ring  5.  Rock Pile Bindery Datebook  6.  Merriweather Council Bunting  7.  Carson Too Quilt  8.  Carson Too Cards  9.   Alice Nightingale Blouse  10.  Leah Duncan Pillow  11.  A Lovely, Little Shop Necklace  12.  Voz Clothing & Art Brooches  13.  Polymorphia Print   14.  Crave Jewelry Design Earrings  15.  Olive Leaf Stencils Mod Triangle Pattern  16.  Yonpli Mosaics Jewelry Box  17.  Timberline Treasures Pouches  18.  A Lovely, Little Shop Necklace  19.  Olive Leaf Stencils Woven Pattern  20.  Voz Clothing & Art Bangle