its beginning to look a lot like...

So, I like Christmas.  A lot.  I like to think I like Christmas more than your average bear.  I like the food and the lights and the wreaths on every door and the parties and the scent of pine and the friends and the family and the happy hustle and bustle and the pretty paper packages and Elf and Chevy Chase and the season Starbucks beverages.  

And the music.  I love the music.  Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole and Elvis and the Chipmunks.  I even love that damn, catchy "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" song by stupid N'SYNC.  

However.  There are two Christmas songs that bother me to no end.  I'm not talking about an annoyance a la "Santa Baby" which I can hear once and think "ooo this is sexy and fun" and from thereon out its like "PICK A NEW DEADLY SIN, WILL YA? GREED IS GETTING OLD!"

No.  These two songs bother me.  Like, really?  This is the Christmas message you meant to convey?  

First up, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"... "Yay!  Happy Adulterous Holiday!  My mom is whoring it up with the Personification of the Christmas Spirit!"  The only way I can wrap my head around this one is to think that maybe Santa is really just Dad dressed up in a fat suit.  Then its more like campy home-porn... that your kids are watching.  So, yeah, still really effing creepy. 

Then we have "Baby Its Cold Outside," or, as I prefer to call it "The Date Rape Carol."  I'm serious, listen to the words.  Classic Frat Boy "No Really Means Yes" / "If You Leave Me With Blue Balls, They'll Fall Off" Banter going on in this little number.  Especially the Harry Connick, Jr. / Lee Ann Womack version.   "Say, what's in this drink?"  That's the Roofies, Sweeties - grab an extra pair of mittens and RUN LIKE HELL! 

Okay, Scroogeiness is complete for the season... unless you want to chat about Its A Wonderful Life (I prefer my Jimmy Stewart served with a side of Hitchcock and that line about the angels and the bells and the wings makes me want to rip my hair out).

Seriously.  I'm finished.  And for allowing me to ruin two (seriously disturbed) Christmas carols and one (seriously obnoxious) Christmas movie, here's a peak at our Holiday Decor '09!  

Cheapie World Market Wreath + Ribbon from Lowes

My favorite! Mexican Tin Nativity from my brief residence in San Antonio

Shelves in between Living Room & Entry 

The Boom's stocking

Newest Edition - Santa from mi madre

Evs' and my stockings 

Living Room into Dinning Room

Tablescape 

Snowman & Chili Pepper Tree in the Kitchen Window

The Tree! 

Our "Engagement Ornament"

Go Deacs!

Latte & Mitten from Sbux

Happy Holiday Decorating from EA!

 {And, I did indeed have a fabulous Thanksgiving... a little recap is up on ITPitB!}

bookmark

Coming up next week: Thanksgiving Recap, Holiday Decor Preview, and a Fitness Update!

Until then, can we talk about how Anthropologie's New Arrivals threw a major wrench into my already submitted Christmas lists?

Great Heights Shift

Tibur Cardigan

Night Blooming Dress

Toasted Meringue Cuff

Torsade Tee

Sparkling Spheres Earrings

Little Black Belt

Blooming Trio Belt

In-A-Moment Dress

Le sigh.

a Felicity Thanksgiving

Through a crummy series of events, here I sit, the day before Thanksgiving, in Texas, while the Evster is chilling at the Microtel in Miami, OK.  I am decidedly nearer to Starbucks (although I see Joplin, MO now has one... making the nearest decent cup of liquid crack a mere 35.5 miles away from dearest Miami) and my wireless internet is indisputably better.  But, while I have no reservations in sharing my "special feelings" about small town, Northern Oklahoma, I'm still ridiculously bummed that we won't be spending Thanksgiving together for the first time in four years.

However, in keeping with the "accentuate the positive, be thankful for all you have, and wash it down with another glass of eggnog" nature of the season, I must admit that I am pretty pumped for my "Felicity Thanksgiving," i.e., that holiday that for, whatever reason, becomes one giant ball of non-traditional, time-spent-with-friends Awesome.  And don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about because you didn't watch that show because FELICITY WAS GREATNESS.

So today, preemptively, I give thanks for the following:**

Mi Familia - the Originals and my Newest Additions

Amigas

Turkey Day Bonus Points for those (here and here) making my
tomorrow oh-so-fun instead of oh-so-lonely

Tom Colicchio 

I love your bald head.  And your risotto.  Thanks for making us (what I am sure will be a) delicious Thanksgiving Lunch.  PS: I like Diet Coke a lot, too... call me!

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

My Mom and I always watched the entire thing while baking pies... the folks in Miami don't feel quite as strongly about 2 ton hot air balloons and small-town marching bands, so I shall be glad to renew one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions tomorrow!

Westminster

Turkey Day just ain't Turkey Day without fancy pups and
frumpy women trotting about in support hose!

The Pioneer Woman's Mac & Cheese

Sweet Holy Mother of Cheese.

So You Think You Can Dance

Hey.  You.  All of Season 6 (thus far) on my DVR.  I'm coming for you.

and of course, Felicity

Thank you, Keri Russell, for doing something as stupid as randomly switching colleges for a boy (although, Scott Speedman? Yeah, I'd probably have done the same thing)... for putting "Sex with Noel" in your day planner... for making me want a chubby Latin gay-boyfriend really, really bad... and for having such awesome hair (except when you chopped it off after losing your virginity to Simon Rex - ew! - and it grew back into that terrible mullet creation).  Without you, I would not be able to fully appreciate sharing a holiday with a fabulous makeshift family of friends.  That said, I am still perturbed by the weird way your show ended.  What was up with that?

**um, obviously champagne, puppies, the country of Spain, Malia and Sasha Obama, Anthropologie, rosettes, and civil liberties also top my All-Time Favorite Things For Which To Be Thankful, but I kind of felt that went without saying.

emails from lawyers married to each other

I'll preface this post with a little back-story... While I read a lot of books about cannibals / foodies / sassy, sailor-mouthed, full-figured ladies, Evs reads a lot of news.  Probably at least once a day I get an email with a link to some article of interest.  Which is much appreciated by my Intellectual Growth Sector, seeing as most of my news is received via Good Morning America (I puffy heart you Diane! Don't leave!) and Go Fug Yourself.

This afternoon, up popped two articles regarding new wholly sustainable architecture in the works downtown, as well as a future project to create whitewater for kayakers on the Trinity River (although not necessary to appreciate the titillating repartee that follows, you can read them here and here if you really want to).

Aaaaaand Scene:

From: Kate

Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 2:14 PM
To: Evan
Subject: RE: Interesante!

Oooo we could take up kayaking!  Like [my parentals]!  Or live in a sustainable building!  Yay!

From: Evan

Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 2:15 PM
To: Kate

Subject: RE: Interesante!

whatcha thank about that? big d becoming more like big A!  we should just stay heres for the rest of our lives and watch it develop! yay!

From: Kate

Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 2:17 PM
To: Evan

Subject: RE: Interesante!

Time will tell. 

And I wouldn’t say that a multi-million dollar project to create fake waves is very “Austin-esque.” 

From:  Evan

Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 2:17 PM
To: Kate

Subject: RE: Interesante!

I would!  you need to have some type of imagination.  

From: Kate

Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 2:21 PM
To: Evan

Subject: RE: Interesante!

Oh I’ve got imagination out of my wazoo!  I didn’t say it’s not cool – I like the idea very much!  A very interesting innovation! 

From: Evan

Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 2:22 PM
To: Kate

Subject: RE: Interesante!

im hereby give you a yellow card for excessive use of the exclamation point.  one more infraction and you will be issued a red card and you will be kicked out of my email system.  LUM

From: Kate

Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 2:23 PM
To: Evan

Subject: RE: Interesante!

Wow.  You suck.  That’s really mean.

Now I’m sad.

At least I use proper capitalization. 

From: Evan

Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 2:25 PM
To: Kate

Subject: RE: Interesante!

what?  that is not reallly mean - I just was giving you a yellow card - I didnt give you a red card - I could have just given you the red card and skipped the yellow card, but since I love you I went ahead and gave you the benefit of the doubt and only gave you a warning.  That is love honey.  That is love.  

From: Kate

Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 2:33 PM
To: Evan

Subject: RE: Interesante!

You should never give your wife a red card.  Maybe – MAYBE – she can go in the Penalty Box.   And only for things like “Withholding the Goodies Until Husband Agrees to See New Moon” or “Rigging The DVR So It Plays All Glee, All The Time.”

But straight-up eviction?  I don’t think so, Buster.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No snappy reply to that.  I think we all know who abused this metaphor all the way to V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!

kohl kwestions

How much do you hate it when people misspell words to be cutesy?  I hate it kind of a lot but couldn't help myself today... Catchy Blog Title beat out OCD Tendencies.  Apologies to those offended.

Anyhoo, does anyone line their eyes with kohl?  I picked this up the other day at CVS and have been wearing it all week.  I really like the effect, but I find it difficult to apply.  Actually, scratch that.  Applying it evenly to my eyelids is a snap, but afterwards there are tiny little pieces of kohl dust on my cheeks.  Try to brush them away and I look like I've been sucking face with Burt the Chimney Sweep.

Any tips out there for me in the blogosphere?

we are very important. we have many leather-bound books...

... and, apparently, our mugs in a magazine!

Yep-a-roonie!  Last night I opened up what I thought was our Christmas cards to find three advance copies of The Knot: Texas, Spring/Summer 2010  magazine!  Girlie shrieking ensued, obvs.

Its completely surreal (and at times, awkward) to read "your story" in print, but overall I'm pleased as punch with the spread (save for saying our wedding took place in Dallas - come on, fact-checkers!)... complete with the geeky law-library "the first time I saw you" lore and the infamous "Midnight Garden Party Thrown by Anthropologie" theme!

Anyhoo, enough tooting of our proverbial horns for one post, but if you're a resident or visitor of the Lone Star State next Spring, check us out in the glossies aisle! 

thoughts for those Scrooges over at ATL

Thanks to my fellow Gumshoes (HA!) Megan and Charlene, the identity of The Perfect Gilded Floppy Bow Heels has been uncovered!  I give you the Bow T Dorcets in Gold by Mr. Christian Louboutin himself (I should have known he would be behind perfection like this):

Yesssssssssssss Victory is Miiiiiiiiiiine!

Except.  Except... $995?  Well, fuckadoodledoo.  There's many-a-pretty for which I can be persuaded to drop major coin, but when your Preferred Party Shoes ring up at more than thrice your Festive Frock Budget, that's where I draw the line.

Yep.  That's me and my Principles, standing on one side, shaking my fist and crying "why God, why!" firm in our resolve, with the T Dorcets on the other, looking all 'effing smug and perfect and floppy-bow-ed.  An Epic Face-Off, really.  One for the ages.

Back over here on my lonely side of the line, its crossed my mind more than once that this is a "Don't Hate that Playa (I am so streetwise, y'all!), Hate the Game" Situation.  Because, really, Ann Taylor Loft?  No offense, my love, as I do thoroughly enjoy what you've been doing lately - many kudos, really, keep it up! - but up until recently, save for a couple of choice pieces each collection, all you ever offered us were reasonably priced basics and slightly boring business casual duds.  And yes, everyone needs a slim black turtleneck but that doesn't mean that I was totally amped up to go purchase it from you... you pickin' up what I'm puttin' down?

Point Being: a year ago, you wouldn't have deigned to accessorize with 10-Benjamin kicks.  Of course a year ago you wouldn't have carried something as heart-palpitating as this or this, but that doesn't necessarily give you the go to delve into couture footwear, know what I mean, Vern?

Not to mention, as the lovely Shabby Princess, in all her marketing genius pointed out, somebody's playing more than a little dirty by featuring non-ATL merchandise front-and-center in the ATL Holiday Ad Campaign.  And instructing your sales staff and your customer service representatives (I'm looking at you, Monika Gerszewski) not to give out information on the shoes' designer?  Low, low, low.

I'm not sure I like how your new hoity-toity attitude, Ann Taylor Loft.  In fact, I think I am quite miffed at you.   A FedEx package with this outfit inside might make me reconsider my position... INCLUDING THOSE DAMN BOOTS!  Which we all now know I'm going to have to go stalk Neiman's shelves for, aren't I?