New Finds (from West Elm) for the New Year

I was absolutely delighted to receive the new West Elm catalog in the mail the other day.  I standardly love WE, but they have really stepped up the game for 2011.  I highly recommend that you check it. 

Some of my fave finds...

Modern Windsor Accent chair...good lookin'!

I am intrigued by this headboard/four poster combo...

Iznik dhurrie

David Starck Zebra rug...in JUTE!

Coconut Chandy

Deciding if this is fug or fab for our dining room....

A little JA styling it seems...

Jacks tray side table. 

Let me know what items you like for purposes of ringing in our fresh new year!

I hope y'all had a good 2010 and that 2011 is the most prosperous, healthy and fun year yet.  Thank you for being Gimlet readers...2010 has been a good year for Gimlet.  After all, it was its birth year!

Auld Lang Syne,

JSH

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010 (a little reflecting)

Well, 2010 is upon us. How are you feeling about letting 2009 go? I'm feeling a little nostalgic right about now. This year was a year of learning, growing, love, heartbreak, celebration and every other emotion that you can imagine.

There were many experiences from this year that I will never forget and some that I would love to forget. But, alas, that's life and you can't tell your memories to take a hike.

As I was thinking about my New Year's post, instead of just reflecting on the year I thought I would reflect on the things I did this year that I had never done before. Like I said, 2009 held lots of experiences for me!

I made a New Year's resolution (no, I had never made one before)

I graduated from college (with honors)

I started graduate school (and made a 4.0 my first semester)

I went to New Orleans...

During Mardi Gras....

And I had a Hand Grenade

I saw two of my best friends, (ABC & TLC) marry the men of their dreams

I saw another friend get engaged to the man of her dreams

I got my first puppy, Millie Bug

I moved into my own place

I started paying bills

I started blogging!

I started my first 'real' job

I started collecting Willow Tree figurines (they give me daily inspiration)

I went to my first University of Tennessee football game

I significantly expanded my shoe collection

I learned the importance of having a few best friends

and I learned the importance of being able to enjoy life all by myself

So, how was 2009 for you all? Memorable? Miserable? What new things did you do this year? What new things do you want to do in 2010?

Happy New Year, lovies! I can't wait to see what this year holds for all of us!

 

Cheers, everyone! Talk to you next year!

PS: I only lack one more follower having 100, can I do it by midnight?! Hopefully!

Culver's

In the frozen tundra we love our cold weather. Even in the midst of a snowy winter Minnesotans still love to eat chilled food. One of my very favorite chilly foods is frozen custard and when I crave it in Minnesota there is only one place to go: Culver's!
I think Culver's used to be just a Northern chain, but they have now expanded their map...Rockwall, Texas even has one now! They are famous for their butter burgers (I am ashamed to say I cannot vouch for these as I have never tried one) and of course their frozen custard. Each day each Culver's location has their vanilla custard, their chocolate custard and then there is the flavor of the day. This can range from Strawberry to Butter Pecan Brittle to Heath Bar Delight to Candy Cane Oreo. The flavor of the day is always my favorite and you have to get it while you can since flavors are rarely repeated during the month. On Wednesday we ventured out in the midst of our winter wonderland and hit up the one and only Culver's!

Another Culver's staple are cheese curds. I know, I know, they sound gross, but I promise they are divine! The are like round, bite sized mozzarella sticks and they are a pure delight when dipped in ranch.

I was certainly a happy Hopsy when I got my hands on the custard of the day, mint Oreo, in concrete form. Yum, yum, yum!

The King's Speech

Yesterday, we went to see The King's Speech in the Twin Cities. I had read quite a bit about the movie and being one that loves British history my mother and I could hardly wait to see it. Well, our high expectations were NOT let down. Colin Firth deserves an award for his portrayal of King George IV, he was PERFECT, as was Geoffry Rush (whom I was lucky enough to meet when he was filming the Tailor of Panama years ago). This is a MUST see movie!

Lights, Camera, Action! (favorite movies of 2009)

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I finally made it to my parents house yesterday- with power!! Woo hoo! However, our cable and internet has been hit-and-miss which is a bummer. I don't remember a snow storm causing this much drama in a long time! Geez louise!

I was thinking about what to post for today and decided to recap some of my favorite movies of 2009. I love movies! And surprisingly I take my movie visits quite seriously. I go through the same ritual every time. First, buy ticket. Second, order a small popcorn, Peanut M&Ms, and a small Coke. Go into the theater and find a seat in the upper middle section (I don't want to break my neck, thank you). After I'm comfortable I open my M&Ms and pour them in my bag of popcorn. If you haven't tried this you don't know what you're missing!!

Do you all do the same things over and over again when you go to the movies? Or is it just me? Hmmmm....maybe it's just me. Anyway, on with the list!

In no particular order...

My girls and I LOVED this movie! We actually watched it the night before one of my bffs got married :)

 

For those of you who saw this movie, you know why it's on my list!

I loved this movie! For obvious reasons, lol.

 

Tyler Perry is hilarious! If you haven't seen this go get it now!

My two besties and I saw this together. Jamie Foxx was amazing!

Yes, I am a kid and love Harry Potter.

There aren't enough good things I can say about this movie!

And finally.....

Swoon...

I still want to see Invictus and Did You Hear About the Morgans. What movies did you see this year that you loved? Did you see any on my list? What did you think about them?

I hope you all are having a wonderful day! I noticed that I'm almost at 100 followers, wow! It pleases me so much to know that you all enjoy reading my randomness! Keep showing the love, please!

Thank You, Santa and Beau!

As I mentioned in my last post, Santa was ridiculously good to me this year...spoiled Beau, me and the bebe waaaayyyy too much.  We are very blessed and lucky to have such a wonderful Santa that visits each year! 

Beau was also an excellent gift giver this year (it really is a great quality he has).  We established some pretty strict budgeting parameters for ourselves this year, and he truly rocked my socks with his selections.  One thing that was pretty awesome was my Kindle cover.  I asked for one to protect my birthday gift Kindle and expected a normal leather one from amazon.  However, Beau presented me with this guy!

Who knew that Diane von Furstenberg (an idol!) designed Kindle covers? 

A sneaky peek at the fuscia interior. 

They are called Kindle clutches in DvF speak.  Here are some other options...

If you have an e-reader and want to jazz it up a bit (and need help finding it in your big bag or purse like me...), perhaps you too should consider the wrap dress of Kindle covers!  Great gift idea, too...

Cheers,

JSH