Saturday, December 15, 2012

Saturday Musings

Hello All,

I hope you are all well.  Before I get into my regular Saturday natterings, I just wanted to say that my heart is broken over Connecticut.  There is truly nothing that can be said.  All we can do is send our prayers.





Okay, had to leave a little space there, since the rest of this post is most definitely chatty and cheery.

It is Saturday, when I like to talk about good things and sweet nothings.

This week, I had a lovely dinner out in celebration of Christmas with colleagues at our Lieutenant Governor's House, known officially as Old Government House.  It is a lovely 200+ old building and well worth a visit if you are ever through here!

Old Government House

During the day that day, I wore the following:



J crew cashmere cardigan, jc herringbone tweed capris, nougat london black cami, cheap pearls, red suede pliner shoes

After myday of  meetings, I switched out of the cashmere cardigan and into a black tuxedo jacket I got last winter at American Eagle, my fancy pink floral pants from last year (see them on Beach Chic Style here) and the sparkly donald pliners i have featured before.  Unfortunately, the picture was too blurry to share with you!  Don't I kind of look like I have a halo over my head???  The food was amazing as was the wine.  This made Friday a long day!

Yesterday, I tried a colour combination I would never normally do - leopard and blue. I would be curious if you think it works:




This is kind of a dim image, but I am wearing the navy pink trousers I bought early this fall, my old JC wool schoolboy blazer, the colelction leopard blouse, a leopard print belt, brown franco sarto booties (old) and an old sparkly poinsettia brooch I bought from Talbots a few years ago and which Dani reminded me of because of her post here.

Only other outfit I would share is one I am not positive works.  Is my Nougat London print dress, paired with my leather blazer and charcoal tights and heels:





Other things I am thinking about today:

I am currently ready The Hare with Amber Eyes.  It is an amazing love story by Edmund de Waal about his ancestors, anchored symbollically by a collection of netsuke, something I had never heard of.

Amazon describes the book:

The Ephrussis were a grand banking family, as rich and respected as the Rothschilds, who “burned like a comet” in nineteenth-century Paris and Vienna society. Yet by the end of World War II, almost the only thing remaining of their vast empire was a collection of 264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them larger than a matchbox.

The renowned ceramicist Edmund de Waal became the fifth generation to inherit this small and exquisite collection of netsuke. Entranced by their beauty and mystery, he determined to trace the story of his family through the story of the collection.



I hope to finish this book this weekend - it is absolutely rivetting and de Waal has a poetic voice that is quite engaging.

This picture of Katie Holmes really inspired me this week:


Now, I can't wear pumps outside this time of year, but can certainly recreate this look, especially since I just received my charcoal wool minnies for all of $40 CDN!  How chic does she look!


I also recently discovered http://www.oeufnyc.com/.

It is a store for children, but they have these amazing "goodies" (their term, not mine, but very appropos!), two of which I really need:

A knit version of the Empire State Building!


I don't see king kong on this version of the building

 Do not ask why I need this.  I just think I need this on my couch...


who doesn't want a pigeon?
 Pablo the Stuffed Pigeon!  How cute to have a piegon beside my high rise???

I will need the eiffel tower as well...


I think I see Dani and Ina sipping chamagne here
Or a Lily of the Valley Garland:



I don't know if you have wee ones, or big kids (like me!) but this shop has fabulous baby gear and furniture!  How fun!

I hope you all have restful and peaceful Saturdays.  I am reminded more and more that kindness and caring and helping one another is the key to it all.  You always make my day!

What will I be doing today?  Wrapping some presents, reading and relaxing, like someone else I live with:



A person who did not want to rush out of bed this a.m.

Happy Saturday and stay safe out there!!  10 more sleeps!










20 comments:

  1. Sigh. As your friend, I feel obligated to tell you that in New York, pigeons are known as "rats with feathers." This is because they eat garbage and carry disease. In London there is an official Falconer whose task it is to keep Trafalgar Square pigeon-free, well, as nearly as possible, and since he and his birds went to work there has been a vast improvement. So no pigeons for me.

    I don't collect netsuke but I have a friend who does,she particularly loves the witty ones. It's amazing how much expression can be put into such tiny faces, even on a frog.

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    1. Fred - they call them that here, too! But I think they are awful cute, despite being disease carriers, etc! My husband also calls squirrels rats with bushy tales! okay - in my town we will only have knit pigeons, what do you think?

      I truly had never heard of netsuke before, but now I am quite obsessed!

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  2. Love these posts. I think your outfits are great, and yes to leopard with blue, I am loving navy blue with brown these days.
    We are having a quiet weekend, cleaning up around the house. I'm reeling from yesterday.
    Have a good day at home.xo

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    1. You, too! Our laundry room reno is now half down! Yippee - I will be cleaning the family room, which is now coated in drywall dust, sigh... We are now waiting for the countertop, sink. The flooring is on order and will be installed in early January! Thank God the end is in sight!!!

      I hear you about reeling. I have felt ill since I heard.

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  3. Love the navy and leopard combo. Never would have put that together but it looks great on you. So sad about all the tragedy. I'm having a hard time getting going today.

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    1. Shopping Celle - I am so with you. We were just in the mall to pick something up and i kept seeing all the little kids and just feeling ill, especially knowing that bless them, most of their parents have closets full of Christmas gifts at home, waiting for the big day.

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  4. The lily of the valley garland... I MUST HAVE. I have always loved lily of the valley, it is in bloom around my birthday and I always picked a bunch from our garden growing up.

    I really love all of the outfits you posted. The dress with the leather jacket is killer!

    Today I am getting a pedicure and then baking a boatload of Christmas cookies. I hope you have a good weekend.

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    1. J Crew JD - I love Lily of the Valley - they are in the top 5 for sure, along with peonies, lilac, tulips and hydrangea.

      Have fun with the cookies - I have to start, but not today - today will involve some wrapping and lazing and then company this evening!

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  5. Your outfits look so nice! I love that leather jacket. I love Katie Holmes' look too. No books for me lately, I don't have any concentration for reading these days. No pigeons for me either, yuck! Those knit things are cute but kind of odd.. can't quite imagine snuggling up with the empire state building. I am having a hard time getting going today too but I have a lot on the list so I'd better get to it. Have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. Hi Cate! Thanks for the compliments. I don't know why I love knit things like this but I really, really do! I don't know how you would cuddle them either!

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  6. Terrible, tragedy yesterday, my heart goes out to all involved, it must be so fearful being a parent in this day and age.

    Pablo is fabuloso!

    You look very sharp in picture number one, that's my favourite kind of look.
    I'm going out with bare legs tonight, because 'I drank my tight' money!
    "Tights, hmm, £25 no no couldn't possibly pay that" Hours later... two drinks downed in a posh London bar money swallowed in one fell swoop.

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    1. Tabs - your justification: "it is better to have the experience than the thing" - how's that? What is the temperature there these evenings? It's about -6 here these days. I am in awe of your bare legs. I know we are descended from vikings, but I think my viking-ness was diluted but the british side of me!

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  7. The outfit with the nougat london dress is my favorite,love it!

    I am so sad about what has happened,i cant even imagine what the parents must be going through.It made me appreciate my kids beeing with me even more.

    Thanks for the shout-out and have a great weekend!

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    1. Hey Ina - I am like you - I hugged my kids extra hard last night and they are 17 and 20! Have a wonderful weekend - I keep thinking of you in those wonderful German shoppes!

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  8. I think we are all more sober today; Mr Lane has been particularly affected for some reason. I grew up in CT, my whole family is there and it is hard to imagine this is such a quiet place.

    You are so cute in the leopard outfit! I like the black and white with pearls too.

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    1. Hi Lane - I feel that this one hit close to home, sort of like the movie theatre one earlier this year (my son had also been at a midnight showing here that night) and it has really affected me!

      I think these terrible events remind us how much we need to help people when they have mental health issues. And there is a whole other debate on gun control which I assume will occur in the coming days and I don't even want to touch

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  9. Hi WMM, I love all the outfits you have featured - I do think that the leather blazer/dress outfit works, it's casual chic at it's best.
    Yes, so sad about yesterday, and what's even sadder is that this sort of thing just keeps on happening.

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    1. Hi Patricua,

      Hope all I well - thanks for the feedback!

      I don't know why this is happening either.

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  10. Love the pearls and leopard with that blue is so pretty. I think of animal print as a neutral but still wouldn't think of navy, what a great idea!

    I did not want to get out of bed this morning either. We're finally getting our winter, mid-60s and rain. I love lily of the valley, I wanted them for my bridal bouquet but it was the wrong time of the year.

    It was heavy hearts today but let's all try to do something good.

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    1. HI Tiffany Rose - thanks for the feedback! I am with you. As Bruce Cockburn, one of our Canadian Musicians/National Tresures wrote "you have to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight." We can all do that and that can make us feel better.

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Kindness is a virtue...