Hello, Beauties.

So, perhaps these were the root of the shoe dream last night--I received these last week from a Nordstrom order I placed a couple of weeks ago. These are my first pair of Cole Haan shoes and they are so pretty I am afraid to wear them (see earlier post about how I always get my shoes stuck in the one deep crack in the sidewalk). They are gorgeous and HIGH--I think they are about a 4 inch heel with platforms in the front under the toe box. They look great with High Heeled Flare jeans, and skirts.

Here are some closer looks at the shoe details:



These shoes are surprisingly comfortable for being such high heels. I did have to get a size up from the size shoe I have been wearing recently--a 9 instead of my normal 8.5. I had had my eye on a couple versions of this style on Nordstrom.com for months, and when this pair dropped to around $100 down from $275, I decided to order them thinking I could return them if need be. As soon as I took them out of the box, it was love--I adore this color of leather and expect I can wear these year round. I once had a pair of JCrew cognac leather simple pumps that were the greatestshoesIeverowned but sadly they eventually wore out. I am always looking for the next perfect pair and these may be it!

Sale Watch: Nordstrom has a patent leather version on sale for $165.

Details on the style pictured:
Cole Haan "Penny Air" Pump
Color: Luggage Leather
Style: 226677

Rating: Love them! Stay tuned, coming to an outfit near you....

Dear American Idol,

Dear American Idol,

Thank you for filling my evenings with mindless entertainment.

Thank you for making me laugh before a minute was even up by introducing the judges in that ridiculous way.

Thank you for adding crazy features to the stage, like a projection screen between the stage and the judges that the contestants then stand on--so they are standing on themselves (?!)

Thank you for making me dust the cobwebs off my memories of obscure Michael Jackson songs.

But mostly, thank you THANK YOU for giving my husband something to analyze as fiercely as an issue of The Economist. Hearing him say..."Frankly I think Lil' Rounds could be overrated, maybe Jasmin is as good as her" or "not sure about the song choice, I see more blues coming out of him" just provides me with endless giggles and for this I am forever grateful.

Keep it up, I love you AI.
XOXOX, LizPoms



Do you guys watch American Idol? Are you horrified to know that I do? Does anyone else have a husband that pretends not to be in to it but analyzes every minute and then suggests who to vote for? Love to hear your comments!

Edited to add some sweet Hubby quotes:

About Adam: "I mean look at that, its all about the rock look, but there's no substance there...I mean, he thinks he is doing great right now, but I don't like it" (he didn't agree with the judges)

About Megan: "I mean, coming off her video promo piece with her kid, then singing this song about the birds...I mean, she is coming off as completely G-Rated but yet she has tattoos"

About Matt: "Pretty solid"

About Alexis: "I mean this is really good. She's got like a Tina Turner thing goin on..."

I love him.

Shopping Ban Update

So I wanted to post a brief Shopping Ban Update after the first week or so. I know, I know, its only been like 8 days. But its been interesting how removing the possibility of buying has changed my day--I immediately delete promotional emails from my inbox, and I spend way less time trolling JCrew.com looking for some Fall 08 sweater that I "missed out on".

However, I did have a shopping dream last night. This is so embarrassing to admit, but I know it must relate to the shopping ban so thought I would include it here. I feel a bit like Bizkit the Sleepwalking dog, or perhaps its like a time a few years ago when I tried out the South Beach Diet and I had dreams of French baguettes and waffles.

Anyway, there are many parallels for this, but last night I had a dream I was at Nordstrom's shoe department, and were just bins and bins of shoes, including JCrew shoes ( I think this was a bit of Jeremy's mixed into this scene )--Juliets, Lulus, Cognac heels I hadn't seen before. It was sort of like a realistic shoe wonderland.

The sad part of this dream was not that I had the dream at all, although that is a bit mortifying. The sad part is I attacked the shoes with abandon, trying on shoes for what seemed like over an hour and THEN BUYING them even though I knew I wasn't supposed to. I actually had the whole decision making process in my dream of standing by the counter and narrowing down from a stack to my dream maximum of I believe three pairs.

Sadly, I woke up thinking this had really happened.

Even more sadly, I was SAD I didn't have the shoes in hand when I woke up.

I think I have more to learn--3 more weeks of education ahead!

Holding On to a Favorite

I am not sure how many of you all are readers of Domino, but by now the sad news has reached most--Domino's most recent issue was their last :(

I have always loved Domino because I believe it took the Lucky magazine concept and applied it in the best possible way to the home decorating arena. Shopping guides, great ideas, and complete room makeovers in all sorts of home styles. Each month I would devour a new issue and I worked to save every issue so now at least I have a library to refer to when I eventually have a real house of my own!

With Domino gone, I wanted to hold on to all the great work they did by getting their book, Domino: The Book of Decorating. Its a great guide, room by room, of all sorts of decorating ideas, both big and small.


In light of my recent book post, this is what I have been "reading"--flipping through and getting inspiration for updates to the apartment. I love the book! I hope to keep it with my magazine library, which also holds JCrew catalogs and thebestmagazinethatnevermadeit, BluePrint--an AMAZING real-life design mag that combined clothes, products, decorating, and crafts from Martha Stewart--sadly, it only lasted a year or so.

What is your favorite magazine? Did you ready Domino or BluePrint? Anyone else have this book?

LOST Thursday Review

In the interest of spending more quality time with the things I hold most dear...lets turn to some LOST recapping!

OK. I know I am in the minority--I just can't get behind the Sawliet thing. I mean, really? THIS?

AH! My eyes! I spent last night squirming at these Sawyer and Juliet moments. For me, I just don't see Juliet as a romantic character at all. I love Elizabeth Mitchell and her portrayal of the role, but her as a love interest--I don't get it. Not with Sawyer, not with Jack.

But I really loved seeing Sawyer in his ELEMENT in this episode, very refreshing. I love when we focus on the characters just for a bit. And the moment at the end when Hurley, Kate, and Jack got out of the van....it was so poignant. Almost...sad. And foreboding.

Jeff Jensen's LOST article was really great again this week, all the credit goes to him for the blurbs I loved, which I wanted to pass along in case anyone doesn't have time to read the article:

"I think that 1974 is when/where the castaways were always and immediately supposed to have gone when Ben turned the donkey wheel last season. They didn't because of two mistakes that required elaborate course correction: Locke not turning the wheel, and the Oceanic 6 (plus Desmond and Lapidus) leaving. From there, ''LaFleur'' toggled between separate arcs in separate time frames: 1974, which showed how the Left Behinders came into contact with The Dharma Initiative; and 1977, which revealed that the Left Behinders had seamlessly integrated into Dharma society. We shall deal with each year separately — after this slight digression:

Note how 1974-1977 = the 2005-2008 (the off-Island/Oceanic 6 years) years. I wonder if we can/should tease out that symmetry even further. The Left Behinders' Dharma drama very much echoed the O6's off-Island ordeal, complete with cover-up lie, a dead body to haul around, and a con man-turned-shepherd. (Ben = Sawyer here.)

Moreover: Have you noticed how Season 5 of Lost resembles Season 2 of Lost? Season 2 emphasized the Man of Science/Man of Faith conflict and introduced us to the Dharma Initiative mythology. Season 5: Lots of faith/reason; lots of Dharma. When you consider that Season 4 mirrored Season 3 (split group story lines; a climactic attack on the castaways; similar Coffin/''We've got to go back'' cliffhanger), what you have is a saga that's doubling back on itself.

SO...

Does this mean Season 6 will emulate Season 1? And given that we're now dealing with time travel and paradox, might Season 6 literally follow in Season 1's footprints due to some looming reboot of time? Will Season 5 culminate with an event that will alter all of Lost chronology, setting up a Season 6 that will reveal the scope of those alterations by retelling the entire saga from the very beginning?

One final thought: You know my Season 5 = Season 2 theory? Check this out: Episode 5.08 (''LaFleur'') corresponds with episode 2.08 (''Collision''). The final scene of that sophomore season outing? The much-anticipated Island meeting between Jack and his intended love interest, Ana Lucia, which was played out in the form of...an extended, silent gaze across yards of distance. Coincidence?"

THANK YOU EWONLINE!

Lastly...where was Daniel in Dharma Funland? He can't be spending ALL his time underground in the Orchid, can he?

Joining the Crowd

So. I'm doing it too. I am doing a March Shopping Ban.

I had been thinking for a while that this was something I should do, even before I saw the term "Shopping Ban" cropping up on blogs and the news. For me, I started to realize I had all sorts of clothes that I hadn't even had the chance to wear yet--either because it was too seasonal, or I hadn't taken the time to think of how I would put together an outfit, or because I got a feeling my credit cards were getting ahead of me, which I never want to happen.

I love shopping--not just "getting new stuff", but the activity of seeing whats new in stores, taking a look at how the retail landscape changes, and just being on the lookout for what brands are doing next. Lately online shopping has joined this interest as well in browsing sites, looking for deals, looking for new merchandise, looking to place an order with a great promo code. But I wanted to focus on some other things. I wanted to work out more and step away from my computer. A little bit of a deep breath to catch up and enjoy what I have.

So I'll be on shopping hiatus this month, but I am going to take the time to use the items I have, get outside as the weather gets a bit warmer, and hopefully learn a bit about myself too. Not to worry, there will still be talk about the latest reviews and store sightings, but for now I will be waiting to see if the items are on sale and still appealing after a month. I'll still be posting and I hope you will still be reading! I have a few items that were purchased last week that will still arrive that I will be sure to review. This isn't a huge grand deal for me, more like a learning experience at an appropriate time.

Are any of you trying something similar? Any tips? I'll update everyone on how it goes.

Rain Rain Go Away

For some reason I fear I may have already posted about this--Rainy Day Attire.

It has been and plans onn continuing to rain here all week. Something about this is worse than cold, snow, etc to me--its very dreary. I have to say my Huntress boots really put a smile on my face though--there is something fun about knowing NO water will be splashing into my shoes as I tromp along.


The real problem lies not just in the footwear, but in the outfits as a whole. I find myself completely uninspired to plan outfits, accessorize, or think smartly about shopping my closet with the rain is pouring down. Every gray day makes me want to put on the Hunters and a turtleneck and jeans and call it a day. This Kristy-from-the-Babysitters-Club attire is not really advancing my styling work! In fact it makes me feel blah on an otherwise gloomy day.

How do you guys dress for wintry and wet weather? Do you ignore it and dress at your most fabulous? Or do you have a standard foul-weather uniform? Changes shoes from wellies to heels at the office?

Lets share some tips to get through March--it may be in like a lion and out like a lamb, but we can hopefully look put together throughout!