Happy Valentines Day dear readers. Are you all celebrating this lovey dovey holiday? I have to admit, I have always loved this syrupy-sweet day. But let’s get down to brass tacks on this one already, its origins are not as sweet-hearted as you may think. While I admit, I don’t love this lover’s day for the doilies and bon bons as much as I do for the excuse to celebrate, I had no idea the possible origins of St. Valentine’s Day were so dark.

It all started in Rome as much in our Western history has- those Romans really had a way with making some serious history. Apparently, young women would line up at the chance to have Rome’s men hit on them and by that, I do mean quite literally hit them. What seems nuts to us, was ceremonial for them- part of the annual feast of Lupercalia. The women of the time thought that these whippings and lashes would make them fertile. A (potential) mother’s love knows no boundaries. Not exactly the Hallmark holiday we’ve come to know and love, filled with cut-out hearts and tangy candy, is it?

In any case, we celebrate Valentine’s Day. Well, I do anyway. My hubby does by default. If it weren’t for me pointing out this day on a yearly basis sometime around say January 15th, it would come and go without him batting an eye. I don’t blame him, it is sort of silly. Why celebrate love on this one specific day? Why not show it in small ways throughout the year? But then again… why not? For me, any excuse to take time and celebrate is aces in my book. I’ve officially put C on Valentine duty. He has obliged and apparently planned something fun and wacky (which is one of my specifications) for us this evening.

Valentine Cocktails and a Few More Thoughts on Love and Some Other Random Things:

What I’m Drinking: 

This lovely little Valentine rosé champagne cocktail cut to be a bit less sweet (nothing worse than a super sweet cocktail- blech!) to start St. Valentines evening off the right way- a classic cocktail and it’s pink. And… maybe this Prickly Pear Fizz too.

A Few Things: 

1. 10 Best Love Stories. Says who? Says Jennifer Rose Smith at Camille Styles. Ok, I was a bit dubious when I clicked on this article but it had me at Paul and Joanne- pretty much my personal all-time favorite couple in the history of coupledom- so much so that one of the dinner tables at our wedding was named after them (we had a favorite couple theme for our long family style tables). Paul and Joanne- it just doesn’t get any better than you two.

2. What a great little hot pink heart print– this would be super smart on a gallery wall.

3. I love these Valentines from Indigo Bunting.

4. This not-too-sweet rosé champagne cocktail is what I’m drinking tonight.

5. Is this custom heart stamp cute or what? What a great engagement or Valentines Day gift, if you go in for that sort of thing.

6. Rome. The obvious choice for a destination Valentine getaway. I mean come on, as far as we know this whole holiday originated there, a couple of people by the name of Valentine were executed there and above all else, the eternal city is absolutely dripping with amor and gigantesco Italian passion. Paris- nah, it’s Rome all the way. At the very least, we should go and pay homage to all of those poor souls who endured those ridiculous whippings in the name of love- read the full story here.

And A Few More Things: 

When in Rome… check out American food and travel writer/sommelier/art historian/travel guide Katie Parla’s Rome Restaurant Guide and App. She’s an expat whose been there for years and knows the eternal city like the back of her hand. An insider’s guide to eating well in Rome, to be sure. Do as the Romans do, right?

And while we’re still talking about Roma, this recipe for the classic Roman pasta dish, Bucatini all’Amatriciana looks divine. This dish was my dad’s favorite so I’ve always had an affinity for it (mine senza guanciale)- a great dish for a cold winter’s eve and a good bet if you’re staying in tonight and want to make something molto bene.

A fun look at a day in the life of designer Clare Vivier.

Want to make some cute heart-shaped cookies for your cupid but no cookie cutter in sight? Fear not, here’s a great little DIY heart-shaped cookie cutter.

The dinner party plates of my dreams– vintage Fornasetti Malachite- Come. On.  If only I could find a full set. Pricey but totally worth saving up for.

Ha ha. I would love to be sitting next to this guy.

And totally randomly, don’t you wish you were here right about now?

Cin Cin and Happy Valentines Day!

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A quick snapshot of what we’re doing to our main living space. We are fans of open-concept (thank you, Property Brothers and their fellow HGTV Canadians for cementing that phrase into our American heads) and prefer to eat, live and cook in the same space so we are doing away with the walls that separate the space. We will leave up a partial wall however so that you don’t walk directly into the kitchen from the entryway.

Here’s our Miss V. on closing day. Woo-wee, those window treatments are something, aren’t they? There are so many wacky little details in this house like those saloon-style doors that don’t actually operate? In any case, it’s all going. We’re ripping it all down and starting over.

Here’s what we’re doing:

Here’s what it currently looks like from a little different P.O.V. (view from the dining area):

Oh how I love a good demo! If I had the means, I would definitely get myself into the house flipping business. I love tearing things down and starting over!

I look forward to sharing our progress. If you all have any good reno tips, please let us know. Thankfully we landed an amazing contractor which I think is at least 80% of the project . If you like who you’re working with, it’s mostly just good fun-with a few hiccups here and there of course. Case in point- I ordered the wrong French doors, big fat mistake #1, I’m sure there will be many more. Thankfully the company was willing to work with me so I don’t have weird in-swinging doors in my dining room. Phew- Feng Shui nightmare averted.

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It’s no secret to my readers that I enjoy a good glass of bubbly probably more than I should, but then who’s keeping track. There’s no time like the present for a proper glass of Champers, especially when it’s ridiculously freezing outside and no end to this endless winter in sight- thanks Punxsutawney Phil- when in doubt, blame the groundhog.

I love bubbles year round. There’s always a reason to pop open a bottle especially on a random Tuesday night just after the bebes hit the bed. A great close to a day and a good start to an evening. After the 3 B’s (bath, bottle and book), a 4th B is in order. I don’t mean to sound like a lush, it’s not like I’m toasting with Champers every night (though I’d like to) but it is awfully festive and fun to toast for no reason in particular, as long as all that toasting can remain reasonably within one’s meager budget.

This week, I’m sharing my tasting notes from a (relatively) inexpensive- this is Champagne afterall- bottle of Moutard’s NV Grand Cuvée Brut. Moutard is a great go-to bottle for the price. To be honest, while I’m not blown away by it and it’s not transportive the way an exciting bottle of grower champagne or that fortunate sip of something like a Krug can be, it’s really a very yummy and well-crafted bottle- and it’s $24. A great dinner party wine, this one won’t break the bank and would be a great match with your fish or lean meat course. Its rich and juicy Pinot showing will please everyone’s palates- a solidly good bottle.

Here’s what I get:

Moutard NV Grand Cuvee Brut, $24

Cin Cin!

Photo: winenoodle.com

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Cute blue midi dress for $20? Bought. Done and done. Go get yours.

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Here she is folks… Miss Virginie, live and in the flesh. This is our little Virginian beauty. She’s got a long way to go but I’m looking forward to every re-inventing step of the way. She’s a little mousy right now but soon she’ll be zhushed up and ready to make her entrance into this century. While not the mid-century masterpiece of my dreams, I love her just the same.

Her exterior will have to wait until spring (and a little additional income) for a complete makeover, because apparently you can’t work with exterior paint in cold weather- who knew? But I can’t wait to brushstroke over those burgundy shutters and that door- ugh. I’ll give her a new molding around the door frame as well, something clean and simple. Let’s stop pretending we’re living in Colonial times, ok? Revere ain’t riding up to this door anytime soon. I know this is Virginia after all, but poor Miss V. just looks confused. She needs an update in the worst way.

My inspiration for her new exterior color palette:

I drew the inspiration from the whitewash-y bricks. I absolutely love those bricks and would like to play them up a bit. I’m still unsure as to what I”ll do the new front door in, I’d like to punch it up and I’m doing glossy black French doors at the back of the house, so was thinking  I would matchy-match with a high gloss black front door, but I’m on the fence, below I show a pretty lavenderish door and a raisiny-gray- not sure which way to go. I’m also thinking either Ben Moore Silver Fox or Ben Moore Revere Pewter (Revere may make his way here after all) for the siding. It’s all up in the air. I’ll also nail a foxy vintage brass door knocker to our front door (etsy find!) circa the mid 70s. We live in a red fox-laden neighborhood so I figured it was apropos. I’m a sucker for numbers too so these brass babies will punch up our street number too, I think.

Here’s how it’s shaping up:

Thoughts? Do tell. I’d love your input. Interior post to come, I can’t wait to show you what’s going on in there and those poufy pink taffeta drapes that I inherited from her previous owner. Woo-to-the-Wee!

Palette Graphic: Smam

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Can you stand this fabulous image of Jacqueline Bisset from Casino Royale circa 1967? That eyebrow says it all. Oh Jackie, I love your wily ways and your crazy award acceptance speeches. What a hot dame.

Happy Weekend dear readers! What are you all up to? My mom is in town- hooray- so we’ll be hanging with the bebes. They are cracking us up these days. My little lady has some seriously fancy footwork and the little dude can really jump- they love their after-dinner dance off- we do too, it’s quickly become my favorite time of the day.

What I’m Drinking This Weekend:

It’s the Olympics, reason enough to celebrate. Bust out the Champers. It’ll be Moutard this weekend, which I haven’t had it in a while, I’ll let you know what I think.

A Few Things:

Did anyone watch the Olympic Opening Ceremonies? This image pretty much sums it up.

Olympic Cocktails! Get your Sochi on- Sochi Sugared Champagne- ok, sure.

If you’re not that psyched about Sochi and don’t know what in the what is going on over there, here’s a pretty good breakdown.

Sharpie art for your walls.

Annie Leibovitz’s Celebrity Disney Portraits

More Celebrity Portraits– this time by Chuck Close.

Shaken not Stirred? Well, actually according to The Kitchn, Bond will go in for a glass of champagne over a martini any day. Interesting- a man after my own heart.

A DIY feather pendant? Love this. I’m not nearly crafty enough to pull this off but it’s pretty great.

10 incredible clips from the late Philip Seymour Hoffman’s career.

Cin Cin all and Enjoy!

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Philip Seymour Hoffman’s passing has left such a sad mark on our country. He was one of Maker|Changer’s of this world- I’m so grateful for his work and so sad to see him pass too soon. The quote from Willy Wonka (well, really from O’Shaughnessy) always comes to mind when I think about individuals that truly light the world with their artistry, “We are the music-makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams”. To lose such a brilliant artist to drugs is a scary and sad reminder that the drug problem is rampant.  I don’t want to dive too deep into addiction here but instead want to remember and celebrate Hoffman and his remarkable life’s work.

I always thought that Hoffman would be one of our National Treasures carrying the drama torch well into his octogenarian years, winning the Kennedy Center Honor, gracing the silver screen and New York stages and most importantly challenging and entertaining his audiences. But he is gone too soon. He used to live directly upstairs from my best friend Amy in the West Village, just across the street from Corner Bistro. I used to see him out on the stoop in the late 90s just after he hit big with Boogie Nights. He remained in that small apartment well into his early success and seemed like such a nose-to-the-grindstone, grounded New Yorker to me. He always had that half-smile twinkle revealing that so much more was going on in that head of his.  He was a force.

I wanted to share this interview from 2008 with Fresh Air’s Terry Gross. I found it very insightful and interesting to hear him talk about his addiction. He doesn’t so much divulge, but the way he talks about one glass of wine versus the entire bottle is illuminating. I wish there was a better system of treatment for personalities with addictive tendencies. It seems that it is such a mind over matter battle and the matter usually wins. Knowing people with addiction problems myself, his death really hit home. If you are a fan of the late actor’s work, you will enjoy this interview- I love the way he talks about his mother.

RIP Philip Seymour Hoffman

Image: Gabriel Bouys

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These pink roofs make me happy. Happy Weekend dear readers! What are you all up to this first weekend of February? Yay- it’s February, let’s hope Punxsutawney Phil is in the clear on Sunday- come on Spring! We’ll be drinking our Caip-beer-inhas and watching the Super Bowl, maybe take in a Frozen Sing-A-Long matinee with the bebes (their first official movie outing- we’ll see how that goes), make an IKEA run (AHHHHH! Am I crazy to attempt a weekend run?- Yes.), and continue our reno/home improvements. Our furnace conked out on us less than 2 weeks after owning our home. Ha. Homeownership- woohoo.

What I’m Drinking:

If you read yesterday’s post, you know it’s the Perfect Super Bowl Beer Cocktail. Yum.

A Few Things:

An old shipping container turned guest house. I. Love. This. If I only had the big backyard for it- so cool!

Tina Fey grabs coffee and a cronut with Jerry Seinfeld. I can never get enough Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Does Jerry Seinfeld have the life or what? Just driving around in cool cars grabbing coffee and pastries with the quirkiest and coolest cats- come on!

This is pretty darn funny. Alan, Alan, Alan!

A drone beer delivery? Say it ain’t so, says the FAA. No drone delivery for beer drinkers. The skies are not for sale so to speak.

What it’s really like to play in the Super Bowl. From the mouth of “Jaws” Jaworski- what a great name!

Beware playas- a bra that can only be opened with “true love”– ha.

A DIY ginormous pearl choker a la Lagerfeld. Love. Thanks for sending this one mom.

Another DIY- this time a necklace hanger. Love this. Maybe I’ll actually be able to see my jewelry if I ever get around to making this.

I’ll be serving up this healthy take on the loaded baked potato at our Super Bowl fiesta. Mini Loaded Sweet Potatoes– yum.

Cin Cin and Happy Weekend!

Image: Mark Merton

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