just what the doctor ordered

Pie must be the gift to give when one has a broken foot...and I'm so happy about it (although my ever increasing fat ass may have another opinion). Husband brought up Blueberry Crumb Pie from Rock Springs Cafe (pie heaven for those traveling to and from Phoenix to other parts of the state) on Friday.
And who says we don't know our neighbors anymore?! Our sweet neighbors brought over a homemade pecan pie last night after they heard the news ...to die for. SO good.
Go ahead...you don't have to break a part of your body to enjoy...go eat pie (or come on over and I'll give you a slice of each!)

weekend

Lots of R&R this weekend. Each day that passes is one day closer to be without crutches and being able to walk...10 days to go. Have a good one!

what's your crutch?

Although my foot is broken, it doesn't bother me near as much as the crutches. I hate the crutches. They're painful. On my hands, in my pectoral area, biceps, back...you name an upper body part and chances are it will be sore.

I need one of these.

The trouble is...if it were in my kitchen I wouldn't want to stick those stupid crutches under my arms to go get it. The sweet thing is that my husband would graciously go and fetch this deliciousness for me...he's been the perfect nurse (or slave...however you want to look at it).

footwear forecast

Yes ladies...for the next eight weeks you too can wear such a lovely boot! But only--yes ONLY- if you happen to fall off your clogs and break a bone in your foot. Can you believe it?! What a drag...and no haters about the clogs...they were fabulous for walking for miles in Paris and Annette Bening wears them...I just hate the fact that I couldn't have fallen off a pair of Christian Louboutin stilettos.

sweet for VALENTINES DAY

SO looking forward to this...great cast!

I Suwannee made me do it

I wasn't seriously looking for lamps and then Jamie from I SUWANNEE had to go and show some amazing vintage cork and chrome lamps that she found on eBay.
Here's the breakdown: 11" across and 19" tall up to the socket.
What kind of lampshades should I search for? color?
I suppose this is an easier auction then the pair of mohair chairs that Jamie also posted...but a $400 delivery fee kept my finger off the "buy it now".

Queen of Tarts

You know you are. You know you want it. The newest shirt at DOTS (that's Dressing On The Side for those in the know...) Get there...quick!

happiness is...

when you just found out your school has been cancelled for the SECOND day in a row!!! 4 day weekend. Husband and I went out to lunch and just finished a french film while munching on popcorn in the middle of the afternoon....LOVE! HAPPY Dance!! what shall we do tomorrow on my SECOND bonus day off?!

we go together

wearing this...
while driving this...

via: here and here

what a difference a day makes...

Audrey and Josh came to visit over the holidays so we had to snap a few pics of future baby at five months...


...and now, just two weeks later from their visit in Santa Barbara. Somebaby's growing!

super salad

Sometimes the basic green lettuce salad doesn't sound super appealing in the winter. If you're still looking for some crunch, some bite, some good healthy to go down...might I suggest:

Autums Green Salad with Sunflower Seeds (with a few changes on my end)

Serves 4
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds (I used roasted pumpkin seeds...love them)
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons sunflower oil, preferably cold-pressed (didn't have this/couldn't find it, and went with olive oil for the good stuff it has in it)
1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, very thinly sliced (3 cups)
4-6 leaves of leafy greens such as Swiss chard and kale (preferably lacinato/ I only went with the kale), stemmed and thinly sliced (3 cups)
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toast sunflower seeds on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer until golden, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes (again...I used already roasted pumpkin seeds so I didn't do this step). Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, stir mustard, lemon juice, salt, and maple syrup together in a small bowl; whisk in oil until emulsified.
2.Toss Brussels sprouts, chard, and kale together. Stir in sunflower seeds and pour in dressing; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

From Body+Soul, December 2009

A Cup of Joe

I needed a model *stat* for our newest "Morning Buzz" t-shirt and my dear friend, Linda, suggested her son (who I've known since he was in first grade!) Robert is the sweetest and willing to play along with whatever his mom and I come up with...including wearing the pimp coat.

Sofia's my choice

If you're not watching "Modern Family" (on Wednesdays...do it... NOW) then chances are you may not know who Sofia Vergara is. The gorgeous Columbian actress is a major star on Hispanic networks and has crossed over so we can enjoy her now. Funny, great timing, and love her accent.


When she was being interviewed at the Golden Globes she said ( this only works if you can say it with a heavy Columbian accent) she didn't really mind the rain on such a magical night...but now she would have to pay for her dress because it was getting wet. It didn't matter...she looked amazing.


On the other hand...what was Sigourney Weaver thinking??! I've been a fan for many years but Sigourney...who did your hair?!! You look 20 years older and nobody wants that.


On such a rainy wet night I would have loved to see her with it combed casually off her face...


or if you want curls, go for a softer, tousled look. We want to think you just got out of bed or the shower...not that you came from the hairdresser.

back to the future

Back in the 1990's this was my uniform; my daily garb; what you would see me in almost every day. I loved it. I've got about 3 pairs of my Big Star overalls tucked away for when I turn into a wiry and sprite seventy year old and can look uber-cool in them once more.





Jessica Biel on the cover and in Vogue next month...her lips kind of bother me but they're her lips so what can I do?

let's go here for our long weekend--

we'll have to fly to Spain...but I'm up for adventure!

From Tim Irving's blog (you'll get envious when you start to read about this artist living in Southern Europe...let's trade lives, Tim):
"The house is situated in Southern Spain and belonged to an actor from London. He bought the house several years ago for the price of a small used car. At the time it was a total ruin, but the roof was sound. It was to be a project for the times when he was resting or getting into character (actors language for un-employed). As far as I can make out, this actor did a lot of resting. Over a period of 4 years he created the ideal retreat, and isn't it a spectacle!"

Tim also has an etsy site here which is eye candy as well...and probably cheaper than flying to Spain this weekend.

project runway

Do you remember Leanne Marshall? She was the season 5 shrinking violet, who proved that beneath the nerdy glasses and the goofy demeanor, her talent loomed largest and won the prize.
Take a look at this wedding dress that she designed for a client. She writes in her blog: "This one in particular, totally consumed all of my time. I was working around the clock, consecutive 16 hour days, 3 weeks straight with a couple of all-nighters to ensure that I got done in time." Gorgeous!


The new season of Project Runway starts Thursday (!!!) and back in NYC.

pixie dust

The Pixie by Jeffrey Campbell. Tights, leggings, short skirts. Blow your socks off. And take a peek at the box they arrive in...so cute.

poor baby

Our ten year old Zoe had a rough day yesterday. She went to the vet expecting a check-up and ended up with a couple procedures having to be done. She's a little groggy this morning but still wags her tail and wants a biscuit. Gotta love it.

happy birthday peter!

This weekend a special chocolate cake will be created for a special son's birthday. yummy.

when I grow up

Working at an elementary school allows me to imagine what kids might be like as adults. In first grade, there's a little boy named Jacob who is going to be great husband material. He's adorable, tries really hard, and follows directions quite well. Please let me know if you'd like me to reserve him for your 6 year old daughter.

A fourth grade boy I'm working with...let's call him Joey, will either be the greatest salesman alive (comparable to The Donald) or end up in prison.

He is such a pathological liar and is so good at it, I was falling for every line he was feeding me. His family had just returned from China for Christmas (I checked with the teacher on this one...um...no) ; he won a trip to space camp from a cereal box (my kids only got little plastic toys...I was so impressed!), and the latest was that he levitated with batteries and magnets.

Everyday is a new story as he looks me straight in the eye and spills out adventure after adventure and this kid is only TEN years old! From our conversations I gather he watches lots of movies and plays an obscene amount of video games (I am tutoring him for reading...go figure) so I'm sure he imagines much of his stories from all the hours invested in the tube.

As a teacher you often wonder what the future holds for former students. I can't help but imagine that I'll be seeing the 6:00 news with a lead off story about Joey one day.

*update: today I heard about a pitbull attacking him and leaving two teeth in his thigh and how his father has taught him to use a rifle (with or without bullets) to protect himself in the year 2012--the end of the world.

Side Star

Dressing on the Side now has its very own blog! Along with doing shameless promotion on our very collectible and cool t-shirts --we will also be throwing the spotlight on any customers that send us a pic (and give them $5 off their next purchase...generous to a fault we are).

It's not that complicated...

The reviews haven't been that great but I really enjoyed "It's Complicated" last weekend. Meryl Streep is such a girl crush for me--I want to be BFF's with her- and the setting, Santa Barbara, is where my daughter went to school and what's not to love? Well, besides the real estate prices...



And speaking of real estate--Meryl Streep's home in the movie is the epitome of what you would want your house to look like in SB. GORGEOUS! After the movie I immediately came home, researched photos of the set, and rearranged pieces of furniture in my living room. Color me obsessive.



I've got basically the same layout--and I'll try to take pics--but it's hard to get everything in without a wide angle lens. Two matching chairs, the sofa, the two chairs at the fireplace, and the armoire that holds a television. Sunday afternoon had me shopping throughout my home and garage for occasional tables for the chairs and I'm lacking in the lamp department as well...ideas?


what movies have inspired you to redecorate?

almost famous

Although it looks like a mongolian lamb fur, it's actually a shaggy knit sweater coat from the 70's that I won on ebay. The fringe is a soft knit which is washable and I'm hoping it will give off a Kate Hudson/Penny Lane (Almost Famous) or Mary Kate sort of vibe. I could end up and be mistaken for the local hooker on the corner but we're going for the boho;I so own this coat look.

new year, new you

I see a hairdresser in my town once a month for color and when I want a great haircut I travel 2 hours to Scottsdale to see my fabulous Roscoe.

Roscoe has everything you want and need for a great cut. He keeps up with the latest and greatest in fashion, always has his iPhone ready in case we need a picture of a celebrity's hair I wanna-be like, and is always dressed in some up and coming designer. Expensive but he's worth it. He's the epitome of the perfect hair guy.

One of my unsaid, unwritten New Year's resolutions is to branch out more...be open to try new things. I decided to try a new hairdresser in our town that was recommended to me by a mom at the school where I teach. I don't really know too much about the mom except she has that 1970's Farrah hair ( I'm a sucker for seventies style ) and I am going to be more open and branch out to new people...remember?

My first warning sign was when "Mike" the hairdresser (Strike ONE: not even a hairdresser name; I asked if it was "Michael") told me where his just moved salon was and that it was "different" and he hoped I was okay with it being above a bar and was I okay with nude paintings on the wall. Wha??!

Okay, okay...I'm fine with that. But, when I walked in and met Mike I had to wonder if this was a joke. He looked a little like actor Charles Durning (go ahead and click...it took me 2 days to think of this actor's name) except he was playing it uber-cool with a backwards baseball cap. I kid you not. Strike TWO: dressing and looking like you just rolled out of bed when you meet a new client is SO not cool in my book)

When he paid close attention to my hair and was asking lots of questions I thought this was a good sign and then it just became annoying. I want my hairdresser to have confidence, to tell me how fabulous my hair looks and not let me know that "if you don't like it, you can come back in a couple of days and I can fix it."

Note: I've got thick, wavy, coarse hair and you'll need a straightener/flat iron to pull off the finished style. One guy in Vegas got carpal tunnel by just using a round brush to dry my hair--but God bless his wrists- the hair looked fabulous.

Mike does not have a flat iron and he isn't that great at blowing out the mane. Strike THREE: you're out.

I only asked for a trim so I knew that whatever the outcome it wouldn't be "wear a bag" on my head hair but looks like I won't be going back to see those nude paintings anytime soon.