Wanting to Know you Wens.

risqué 

Suggestive of sexual impropriety; bordering on the indelicate.

i love this photo called free by tam gutlich on etsy. it inspired today's question...

what's the craziest thing you've ever done?

did you get a tattoo on 6th street in Austin when you turned 18? give your bra to robbie williams during his concert (still one of my best nights ever. ever!)? take a shot of tequila with your journalism professor after a day of competitions, discussing a rooftop incident with a perfect stranger? left your dream job for your dream guy thousands of miles away from home?

these are all crazy things i've done but perhaps the craziest was the summer in college when i went topless on the beaches of italy (italy is a chapter in risque all on it's own).

you can't be shy because it's your turn! 

{don't leave me hanging with all these grand examples i just gave ha}

..."I've had many great, gripping experiences reading male writers who, like JD Salinger, put men down on the page with a kind of real, raw, naked specificity..."

i read that in an article once where the author describes the differences between male authors vs. women writers.

she ends it by thanking so many men writers who have 'opened my eyes to male inner lives.' i thought it was such an interesting concept:

"Being led, page by page, into the skin of the opposite sex puts my nerve endings on high alert. Reading becomes irresistibly sexy--and what more can a girl want, curled in bed way past midnight?"

when i read said article, i was ashamed i had never opened The Catcher in the Rye (or anything by J.D. Salinger for that matter). It was always on my to-read list and so on my last me date to my favorite used bookshop, there it was like a sign on the shelf under classics.

and i finished it in a day and a half. 

"I was half in love with her by the time we sat down.  That's the thing about girls.  Every time they do something pretty, even if they're not much to look at, or even if they're sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then you never know where the hell you are.  Girls.  Jesus Christ.  They can drive you crazy.  They really can."

- J.D. Salinger

Sharing Sundays... lucky vintage.

though i've never been to seattle, i'm convinced i need to live there and that i would be happy there (rain is my happy weather). if i ever make it to seattle, the lucky vintage boutique would be one of my first stops.

instead of me showing you a few pieces randomly, i decided to put together another outfit i'd wear all from the shop centering around my favorite piece, this creamy lace 60s wiggle dress {if we had married at city hall, this would have been my wedding dress}.

i'd wear it with these accessories: 

tortoise brown & gold sergio valente glasses

rose and quartz & metallic snake skin 80s cuff bracelet

boho babe platform heels

southwest native brown & cream woven cotton purse

if i had $85 laying around to burn, i would buy this space age 60s mod metallic cut-out swimsuit in a heartbeat!

etsy : lucky vintage

p.s. isn't the model gorgeous? messy artsy hair and natural make-up... a kind of piercing only certain people can pull off--- i had a bit of a girl crush going through the shop.

happy things to end the week with.

♥ playing with sunlight in my thrifted stripped dress to music blasting

♥ movie dates with my husband during the week are my favorite! he took me to see one day (loved how well they adapted the book to screen... dex and em, em and dex) and i graciously went with him to see captain america (though i love any super hero movie with a love story!)

♥ Thank God football is back, indeed!!! i saw this hot cover while grocery shopping and had to send it to claire and twinkie. ladies, if football is not your forte -- mark sanchez is all the reason to watch! i've missed my football, i've missed my Dallas Cowboys. This is our year!!!

♥ Kary let me borrow her copy and lovies, i could not put it down. Emily Giffin is the perfect summer read (i finished it in a day) and giffin gets it right. This book touched our heart and soul. i could have underlined countless sentences/paragraphs/pages i have felt. 

♥ and i'll leave you with a stella bear smile!

Happy Friday Lovies!!! what happy things are you ending the week with?

+please leave a link below if you do a post-- i'd love to share in your happiness xo

i asked, you answered! (proof, my readers are the best!)

i can't thank you enough for your answers to my desperate plea of getting rid of break-outs. incase you're fighting the odd pimple flare-up and happen to stumble across this little corner of the internet-- i thought i'd share the answers that were mixed in with the usual trusty Proactive/cetaphil (that's what twinkie uses).

left to right: erin uses Breakout Buster by Rocky Mountain Soap Company directly on blemishes (the ingredients sound like a spa for said spots!) she's so lovely, she's sending me one {it's a universal understanding--- how a pimple can ruin your life for just awhile}. thanks erin!!! i'll send you my fave beauty product in return. exciting!

my bestie M says believe it or not, hydrogen peroxide right on the spot makes it go away before it gets crazy. Her mom told her that trick and marisa says she has had the best skin her whole life.

my vintage soul sister amanda has sworn by tea tree oil since she was a teenager.

and sweet grace offered up a good cover-up when you have to face the world with spots on; neutrogena's skin clearing foundation (because though i wish i could be like steph and let them just be... alas, i only do that when i go to the gym).



seriously, my skin can not thank-you enough for all these tips! have i mentioned lately how my readers are the best? cos you are! xo

home is where your husband is.

my little house (i like to call Casa di M) will never look like it could even be remotely included on the selby. you'll find art against walls and a flooded book shelves, a hoarding of knick knacks -- you find that too on the selby but for some reason in my house it looks like clutter. 

at best, an organized mess.

but it's these little (er messy) details that makes it very much me and pieces of memories we've collected that make it very much 'us' (though my husband will tell you he could do with some major downsizing, which believe it or not i have done with our most recent move to el paso).

 our doorway (i have a thing for door knobs and skeleton keys)

 our overflowing bookshelves

i love our mirrored bar in our living room, complete with a sink.

 our fire place mantle-- the first wine bottle is the very first one me and max ever shared; the second one we shared the night we got engaged in our first house together on a mattress on our empty bedroom floor. 

 i have a thing for mirrors... my husband surprised me with the top one for my birthday after i fell in love with it at the art museum's gift shop and the second one reminds me of a carnival mirror-- joel's aunt made it and it's still one of my favorite pieces. You can also see my Butch Anthony original -- a lucky win in a giveaway hosted by my beautiful friend and momma-to-be, Kitty.

 my bathroom counter

our nightside table

a selby home it may never be, but home (our home) it is.

Wanting to Know you Wens.

so here's the thing... i'm 27. i shouldn't have to deal with acne right?

right now my skin is seriously misbehavin. 

i wash my face every night/morning and though i don't always have acne, when i do break out (and usually during the time of the month)-- it's one or two huge ones like this one i can't believe i'm going to show you on my chin.

when i sent this pic to claire, she said she could hardly see it and maybe photobooth did my skin a little justice but it's pretty bad. and it's a bit worse now.

does anyone have any products/tips they swear by?

this is all i'm using right now... the clearasil seems to work but man does it make my face dry.

my brother's girlfriend and my little sister swear by this soap and i think i'm going to have to order some off etsy. Christina (brother's gf) says her skin used to be so bad she would cry and this was the only thing that ever worked.

please tell me i'm not the only one dealing with the plight of pimples. what do you lovies use? from products to make-up that conceal-- help a girl out? 

because i believe in treating yourself once in awhile.

two new dresses added to my wardrobe (tax free weekend and 20% off!)

sending a photo text to get an opinion of yay or nay always helps.

happy things to end the week with.

happy friday lovies!!! this week was such a good week, all starting from last weekend so this may be a little photo heavy.... 

♥ i met abby (first on the left) when she happened to walk into the nail salon i go to. it was kismet; because she lives 30 minutes on the other side of town but had a dental appointment nearby. we chatted, realized we had a friend in common and a brunch later... we spent the day together promoting "marathon kids" along with abby's 'boss' jill who's just as sweet and from Austin. It's such a wonderful organization and i'm glad to be a volunteer sponsor and getting involved in the community. 

and here was a perk! yesterday, sports legend and once upon a time Dallas Cowboys, Herschel Walker was a guest speaker at the in-service we were at. OMG, talk about an incredible speaker and such a nice guy. 

i'm pretty excited about his autograph!!! i can add it to my classic Cowboy's signatures.

♥ i'm so happy my girl claire had the best 30th birthday! if you know her, you know she loves Sons of Anarchy particularly Jax Teller. Me and Marianne were so excited about these main birthday gifts we found off etsy. i have to give these shops a shout-out for quality and fast shipping: the Reaper Crew necklace (claire sent us this photo! so pretty) from the ring leader and the DIY SOA v-neck is an Ellen Weldon creation (pretty sure i'll be back to customer order a Dexter one!) we love you claire & we love etsy!!!

♥ having home made granola on hand--- it makes my greek yogurt even better!

♥ no matter what job you have, your co-workers can totally make it worth it. last weekend we all went out to an outdoor karaoke bar and had a top night that may have taken us all two days to recover from.

Happy Friday Lovies!!! what happy things are you ending the week with?

+please leave a link below if you do a post-- i'd love to share in your happiness xo

I think you should "like" my friend matt & a sweet little favor!

Matt Mahler is one of my dearest friends (I call him my Matty) and I was so excited to see him in OKC while I was in town last month for my little sister's wedding.  

We both worked at TV stations in Wichita Falls, Texas (though he was ahem, the morning meteorologist at the #1 station) back in my reporting days.

I left news for public relations and Matt moved on to bigger and better things; doing weather in the coveted market, Oklahoma City. There's a reason for that... he's that good. 

I just believe good things should happen to good people and it fills me with joy to see him happy and successful. So successful, he now has his own News Personality page on facebook-- lovies, I would adore you if you took the time to "like" his page here. 

It would mean a lot to me because supporting friends means a lot to me! so thank-you with all my heart for taking the second to click "like" ;) 

Wanting to Know you Wens.

lovies, i thought we'd do a round two of our favorite beauty products because i have been wanting to share a few of my recent faves.

Rusk Thermal Serum
i got this for like $4 at TJ Maxx and use it every time i get out of the shower and before i blow-dry my hair. Every girl needs a heat protectant and why not one that also adds shine to any hair type?

and since we're on the topic of hair, i'm going to skip the next bottle to talk about


Regis Designline Flat Iron Spray
my hairstylist told me hair should not live by serum alone if it gets blow-dried (it makes sense, the serum is a heat protectant against my blow-dryer). This stuff is made for straighteners and the bonus? i love the way it smells!


Urban Decay's DE-SLICK
my little sister's best friend introduced all of us bridesmaids to this stuff (hairspray for your make-up i think was her description) and let me tell you, i had to go to ULTA afterwards to get it. It was perfect for taking wedding photographs outside in the unbearable Texas heat. It's made for us who suffer from oily skin (like me... hello shiny nose! anyone else know what i'm talking about?) it's light and goes over your make-up without running it. this will always be one of my must-haves!


Burt's Bees' Honey & Shea Body Butter
two of the best ingredients you can put on your body


Babycrisp (by Peacock-Alley) Baby Oil
I love putting this on straight from the shower. it's not oily and gives you that subtle clean (and sweet like a baby) smell.



what beauty products are you loving lately? do share below xo

can't get this film out of my head.

 "And in the middle of most nights when i can't sleep,


i still replay you."

oh to enjoy a glass of wine with this girl today...

me and the beautiful birthday girl with our purchases from Rubicon Estate in Napa Valley

getting our feet wet at Baker Beach

what i wouldn't do for some red glittery heels that would take me back to SF today to celebrate a big birthday for my girl Claire.

Happiest of Birthdays to you Claire! i love you and think everyone needs a girlfriend like you in their life-- one who's always there to pick you up when you're having one of those emotional episodes, to swoon over your latest celebrity crush, to giggle at the silly thing you did when you had too much to drink the night before, to be excited for you when you share a huge life decision.

If this birthday seems just a little scary, i want you to know i'll happily and whole-heartedly be your constant. Because i know you'll always be mine. xo

P.S. in the style of Marky Mark in Fear...

i can't write a birthday post for claire without a JAX TELLER shirtless pic! ha

"When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes." — Erasmus

these went into my arms... i scored on the pretty hardcover copy of Great Expectations and the second one is Delta of Venus: Erotica by Nin.

confession: sometimes i buy books because of their pretty covers.

all of these for $8. 

a well spent delicious hour at a book sale at my favorite used bookshop.