In my dreams....

This would be my backyard! So, here I am, browsing Pottery Barn's outdoor furniture and i come across this fantasy backyard setting....

I mean, really?! How darn cute is this? With the warmer temps and lovely spring days we've been having, this looks like perfection! But, since i am turning this darling photo into my dream, just past this crazy cute movie screening set-up, the yard would lead straight to the beach...now that would really be my ultimate dream backyard!

oxox,
lauren

*image courtesy of Pottery Barn

Bending the lines

I know some think they may have already had their shining moment, but I still love chevron stripes. I think chevron stripes are the perfect amount of fun and drama and i just really love them. And they make me smile every time i see them.

i love this super-cute dress

These colorful calling cards are so happy looking

Perfect mini cake pedestal

Charming and subtle

I think this is the most adorable little bikini

I can't get enough of this fabric

Love!

oxox,
lauren

*entry way rug, cute party dress, fun lucite tray, colorful calling cards, fun mini cake stand, table, itsy bitsy striped bikini, nautical striped dress, lovely fabric, blue ikat floor

Well, her shoes were my favorite part

Okay, so, yikes! I was so pumped and excited to see all of the amazing gowns, shoes, jewels and accessories last night and I have to say, i felt pretty disappointed when it was all said and done. So much anticipation leading up and what the heck was that?????

So, let's start with the hosting jobs. First of all, i do like both James Franco and Anne Hathaway, and I can only imagine the nerves as well as the pressure they felt, but it was kind of hard to watch them. Boring is the word that comes to mind. I thought James Franco seemed very disinterested the majority of the time. I think this kind of night should be left to the comedians, i think there is so much pressure on all the nominees and there desperately needs to be some great comedic relief. Also, funny people are great when an awkward moment happens (like let's say, when someone may or may not have forgotten his wife's name!) I respect what they were trying to do, showcase two great young actors, but i think it's best for them to do just that, act...in movies. My fingers are crossed for a comedian to host next year.

Now, on to the good stuff, the fashion. Ummmm, this year just felt like something was missing. Of course there were some gorgeous gowns, but nothing that made me giddy or made my jaw drop with excitement, like the Oscars usually do.

Here are my favorite looks:

I think Natalie Portman knocked it out of the park last night...that color looked insane on her! And i looooove her tassel earrings.

I think Mila Kunis looked amazing, the only thing that caught me off guard was the peekaboo lace on the neck line...a bit confusing for me, but overall i loved this look.

Michelle Williams looked incredible in Chanel, she looked like a fairy and she was glowing! Gorgeous!

At first, i was not sure who she was (honestly, i had not really even heard of Winter's Bone), but whoa, Jennifer Lawrence rocked it in that Calvin Klein number. Simple and stunning!

Hailee Steinfeld looked adorable and very age appropriate in Marchesa (evidently she helped design it too!) Love.

Obviously Halle Berry looked amazing (i don't think she could look bad if she tried) i felt like the look was a bit safe, but clearly she looks awesome.

So Jennifer Hudson looks incredible in this Versace gown, really, but i think she needs to put a halt to the weight loss though, no?!

I am on the fence about these looks:

I realize that Cate Blanchette is all about the fashion and I think she is absolutely gorgeous, but this dress is a little weird. I could not take my eyes off of it when i saw her on tv, but the bust part just looks really odd, maybe if it was completely beaded instead of that hollow circle thing? It looks like a frame for something. The lilac color looks fabulous on her though.

I think this is a nice change for Mandy Moore and I do think this Monique Lhuillier gown is gorgeous, i just feel like it washes her out too much.

Oh no, the worst:

All i can say is: Eeeeek! I feel like this is a puzzle that I cannot figure out! Why the red shoes?! And why the bangs in the face?! I do not understand!

I like Marisa Tomei, but no. No. Not for me.

Why, Melissa Leo? Why wear a doily to the Oscars????!

The best moment of the night for me was...

Those shoes! Oh, those shoes! The show was worth watching just to see those gorgeous things! Wow! Fabulous!

Oh my! Those Brian Atwood numbers need to be mine, yeah right! They were custom made for Anne Hathaway (and there are reportedly an estimated 8,000 crystals encrusted on those beauties!)

Also, i got a little misty-eyed when all of the kids came out to sing Somewhere Over the Rainbow at the end. They were too cute and i thought they did a fantastic job!

oxox,
lauren

*images courtesy of InStyle and coolspotters

Pop of Pretty

I love a pretty pop of color. I especially love when an unexpected pop of color ties everything together. Lately I have been loving pops of blue. Blue is one of my favorite colors, but even if it wasn't i think I would still love all of these...

How fabulous is this door/window? I love this!

Perfection. I'm obsessed!

Suddenly i want a hidden door in our home!

So lovely.

This just looks so bright & happy

Pretty pretty.

oxox,
lauren

*images courtesy of House of Turquoise, Massucco Warner Miller, Peter Pennoyer Architects, tumblr, I Don't Think Prada is the Answer, Real Simple, and MWM

xoxo

I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day! Matt and I had a nice romantic dinner at home; we don't really get too into the whole Valentine's Day thing.

Even though valentine's day was yesterday, I thought I would post some pictures of the fun little heart garland I made for our dining room last week! Soon there will be a mirror, etc. hanging in it's place, but we have still not gotten around to hanging everything up yet...our house is a work in progress since we recently moved in!

Oh, and I'm so loving the warmer temperatures we're having...sooo ready for spring time!

oxox,
lauren

Getting settled

Well, we're now residents of Nashville, TN! We moved in a little over a week ago and we are getting acclimated with Nashville and our new home. I have been busy unpacking boxes and trying to get re-organized! It's a lot of work! I so wish there was an easier way to unpack everything and put it in it's proper place!

Matt won two tickets to a Nashville Predators ice hockey game in a drawing at work, so we went to the game last night had a good time. It was a welcomed break from unpacking!

With all that has been going on in our lives, I have not had any time to get to any new posts, so I am going to post some overdue pictures from over the holidays when we were in Florida...

Me and Matt at McGuire's

Katie, Meghan, Me & Matt having lunch at McGuire's

Out shopping

Cool light fixture

Distressed from all the amazing furniture...I wanted all of it!

Love when we're all together!

I guess I better get back to the boxes and the organizing!

oxox,
lauren

New Year, New State

Hello! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays!

We went down to Florida to spend Christmas with my mom and two sisters and we had a great time! We all had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you did too! We came back to Atlanta to celebrate the New Year and Matt and I had a wonderful dinner out at Pricci (one of our favorite restaurants in Atlanta) to celebrate and it was delicious.

With the New Year brings some big changes for us. First of all, we're moving to Nashville, TN! My hubby got a great job opportunity there and now we're relocating. Matt and I have been a whole three times in our entire lives, two of which were for his interviews and one to house hunt last weekend. It's been a whirlwind. The whole process began back in the beginning of October! They brought us over twice for him to interview, and then made him an offer right before Christmas and he accepted a few days later! Whew! So far I know where the two best malls are (sounds a bit lame, but one of the days he interviewed for nine and a half hours and I was by myself all day wandering around Nashville, so, yes that is how I spent my time alone!), some great restaurants, cute shops, Vanderbilt and that is about it. Last weekend we had a tour of downtown Nashville and the surrounding areas so we learned some more about the city. It is going to take a little while. We are very excited for this change in our lives! It is always a bit intimidating to move to an unfamiliar city and also in our case, an unfamiliar state, but 99% of the people we have spoken to about Nashville really love it and we think we will too!

So, back to December when this became official, I surprised Matt with a very nice dinner. I cooked him a porterhouse steak, and that was the first time I have ever cooked steak in my life! I went to a butcher in Buckhead and bought a 1 1/2" thick porterhouse and used an epicurious recipe that you can find here, if you would like. I cooked these mashed potatoes as a side dish along with asparagus. I bought some rolls that he did not even touch because the steak was the size of a basketball and he had two side dishes to go along with that...it was a lot of food, but I had planned out the whole menu and bought the ingredients before I got to the butcher and saw how enormous the steak was! I was so nervous about messing up the steak, but Matt promises it was the best steak he ever had! I feel like I set the bar a bit high though, I mean let's be honest, I am not going to be cooking him porterhouses on a regular basis here! My husband is definitely a meat and potatoes kind of guy and he had a permanent smile on his face that whole meal. It was so fun to see how excited he was...I mean, he was giddy...I am not kidding!

I told you it was a lot of food! The steak was huge! He ate the entire thing though, just not all of the mashed potatoes and he could not eat any of the bread (understandably)!

Mixed cherry tomatoes are not really in season, so I just used all red, but I don't think Matt had a problem with that!

This is now my husband's favorite meal and he talks about this darn steak a lot!

I don't eat steak, so I had chicken instead. I have to say that the mashed potatoes were really good, if you're looking for a new recipe you should try these.

Well, we have a lot going on! It looks like we are headed back up to Nashville tomorrow to continue our house hunt (we did not find a place last weekend) and we're keeping our fingers crossed that we find a place because Matt starts his new job in the middle of next week!

oxox,
lauren