New Year Blooming

A friend of ours sent this amaryllis to us over Xmas.  Everything she does works out perfectly and her intent was that it would bloom on New Years - and of course it has!  My late blooming papers whites should be in full bloom by tomorrow, so I taking both of these as a sign of a new awaking for a new year!

...here's to a crisp, clean, beautifully simple new year...

The Good, Bad, Ugly & Unfinished of Xmas...

I thought I was almost ready for the holidays...

Guests arrive on Friday...

The tree is up...Looks good...And the lights are working...So far...

Yesterday I finished my Xmas shopping and wrapped presents this morning...

I even used tape and some ribbon as opposed to just mashing the paper around a box...

One year I promise myself I'm going to do a really bang up job with the wrapping...

But until that day gets here used ribbon and gift bags will have to do...

The cookbooks and food magazines are piled on the kitchen island and the menu is 90%...

The wine delivery is here and C made a wine tree! 

That C, he's so creative...

I need to decorate the mantels...

But if I lose interest I'm stripping them empty,

tossing a couple of silver ornaments at them and calling it clean and modern...

I emptied the console in the front hall...The plan was to load it with candle lights and fill the branches with dried sliced oranges, limes and tiny ribbons...This is as far as I've gotten...

Every year I go to a nearby small town to buy paperwhites...

Every year the Junior Leaguers beat me to the nursery and scoop up all the paperwhites...

This year I decided to plant my own...

I waited too late and they're only up this far...

By the rate of things I should have a house full of blooming paperwhites the third week of January...

I'm out of town the third week of January on business...

I hope C enjoys the paperwhites...

I went beyond my usual wreaths on the doors this year and even the pool is decorated a lovely shade of Grinch Green...

We started lowering the water level so the poolman could drain it for the new liner...

He was supposed to be here the week after Thanksgiving...

The water level is now too low to turn on the pump...

The frogs seem to be having a festive holiday...

...oh well...I have a couple more days to get it together...

Out Of Focus

Last week I was in NYC on business.  Utilizing little to no imagination, I'd planned to take advantage of New York decorated for the holidays and snap photos for a my first holiday post providing you with crisp clear holiday beauty and inspiration. 

Instead this happened...

 

It poured rain for days ... I mean Louisiana swamp hurricane rain.  I loved living in NYC but don't miss the city when its soaked and packed with tourist and their umbrellas.   So let's just say that my photography skills were not at their best.

I went out of my way to stop by Saks to see this year's light projection installation and get photos for the blog, but after being beat senseless by the rain and the crowds this was the best I could do. Besides it looked better in the video.

C went with me.  While I was in meetings he saw the Elizabeth Taylor Collection at Christie's. He offered to wait and go when I was free.

I decided not to go because I thought it would be like this...

but he said it was this...

beautiful...

and this amazing...

I wish I'd gone!

One night we went to an event gala for a charity I'm involved with at Cipriani Wall Street...

which is one of the most amazing spaces ever...

The DJ was Lady Bunny...for those of you not in the know she's drag queen royalty....

(drag queen royalty...hmmm...rather redundant...)

 After some champagne and a taste of wine I snapped about 40 pics of Lady Bunny....

...and finally got one in focus...
(she had to pose for me about 30 times....)

Then after more champagne and chocolate Martinis, Missy Bunny and I ran into to each on the way out.  At this point I considered her a best friend and asked for a photo with her.  Being the lovely Diva she is, she consented.  Unfortunely, C was not sure how to use my IPhone so what we got was 2 1/2 minutes on three separate videos that I can't fiqure out how to get from my phone to the blog...besides..although funny as hell - we were both out of focus wet hot messes at that point...

We left the next day and I had forgotten to arrange for a car to the airport. As we left the hotel the world's biggest stretch limo stopped at the curb and the driver jumped out and asked if we were going to Laguardia.  I don't generally accept off duty limo rides but this guy seemed OK and his price was about the same as a taxi so off we went...

I don't like drivers who want to talk to me and this guy wanted to chat.  Thank God C was there so the two of them carried on a conversation while I watched my Lady Bunny videos and peed in my pants laughing. The driver was telling C about the many celebrities he had driven, which I ignored until I heard him mention the 'Beverly Hillbillies Housewives'.  Honestly he referred to them this way and didn't even realize what he had actually said.

Then I became interested.  Not because I like the BHW's - I honestly hate those bitches and every thing to do with them and all the other houswives sluts. The Houseswhore series is a big deal in our house.  Sometimes I think it could be the thing that breaks up a really successful LTR because we disagree on it's social value.  C thinks it's mindless silly entertainment not to be taken seriously and to be enjoyed for what it is - trashy TV.  AND I think its the biggest piece of SHIIIIIIIIIIIIT ever created by mankind and is most probably the ruin of modern civilization.

So anyway...back to the limo...this is a photo of how I imagine the housewhores looked after our driver hauled their asses around NYC for a week...

I think that's Lisa Vanderheel on the right, but I can't be sure...

Our driver said we could see him and his car in the episodes when the whores were scanking around NYC, especially when he carried the Grammars to a gala event. 

In fact C was seated where Kelsey was and my ass was parked were Camille and her big red dress perched. Most people would have thought about looking around to see if there had been a fake nail or blond hair extensation discarded on the floor...but instead I just wanted to go wash my butt. 

I find Lady Bunny or the late great Liz Taylor far more interesting...

Next time I'll try to stay in focus...

Art Work In Sets

photo credit Pieter Estersohn

 There is an art to hanging groups of artwork correctly.  If you're every having trouble and I'm not available to dash over and help use these photos as a guide!

photo credit unknown

photo credit Belen Imaz

photo credit Bill Batten

photo credit Gilles Trillard

photo credit Pierre Olivier Deschamps

photo credit Pieter Esterohn

photo credit Simon Upton

photo credit Stellani Herner

photo credit Tim Beddow

photo credit William Abranowicz

photo credit William Waldron

Office Ideas

photo credit Bruno Suet

I've been back in my office for the last week or so after the Thanksgiving holidays and I realize what a mess it is! I work from home so I can pretty much do what I please to my office.  It's totally separate from my house so really there's no limitations - other than the money to go wild.   I first need to straighten this mess up.  But, maybe I just need to redecorate!  Perhaps I need a change of scenery and all the mess will look better.  

I'm currently studying these photos as inpiration.  Of course these range from cluttered to clean, but even the cluttered ones seem organized!

photo credit Pieter Estersohn

photo credit Roland Beaufre

photo credit Simon Upton
(4 images)

photo credit Thomas Loof

photo credit Tony Meneguzzo

Motor Courts



photo credit William Waldron



I have a friend who has a huge f*#$%@g house. 

He has an enormous motor court.  Of course he also has a Rolls Royce so I guess its appropriate for him to have a motor court.  I want one too! A motor court - not the Rolls so I'm collecting images for my Motor Court file.  I want to be prepared when the contractor shows up to install my motor court.  This will happen as soon as I hit the Power Ball jackpot.



photo credit Thibault Jeanson



photo credit Pieter Estersohn



photo credit J. Paul Moore



photo credit Langdon Clay

photo credit Erica George Dines
(3 images)