Thinker

Our next day in Paris was a mish mosh of adventures. It started off with my brother and I taking baby E to get our morning coffee and croissant. A tradition I'm trying to keep alive while back in the states and desperately wishing I was still in Paris. Note to Central Market: please never be out of croissants again...I'm developing a habit. Thank you. Next the whole family went to Napoleon's tomb. I'm telling you, this was one elaborate grave site. Do you think he was compensating for anything? Next we took a short walk to the Rodin museum, the only museum we went to on this trip. I wasn't about to wait in that crazy long line at the Louvre. This was definitely worth the trip. Walking around the garden was really peaceful and it wasn't very crowded. My kind of way to experience and enjoy the art. The day finished off with us wandering aimlessly around Paris stopping at Cafes and Patisseries along the way. One can't just go into one Patisserie there are too many goodies to choose from!

Outfit

Top: Juicy Couture black long sleeve (not pictured), Banana Republic sweater (similar here)

Jeans: Rock & Republic (old)

Boots: Steve Madden

Jewelry: Betsey Johnson heart earrings, Rose ring from Cuffs, vintage class ring

Glasses: Penguin

Birthday Girl

It seems like this past month was filled with birthdays, but it's a great excuse to pull out an amazing dress from my closet. I was sent this gorgeous dress from Sugarlips and I thought my friend Caroline's birthday was the perfect place to wear it. What I love about Sugarlips is that their clothes are fun and stylish but they aren't going to break your bank.

I love how soft and light the dress is. With this crazy hot Houston summer (which I'm still not used to) it was the perfect choice. I pretty much love everything about this dress...the pop of color at the top the layers of fabric, and how it moved as I walked. I decided to style it with my Jeffrey Campbell Lita's because I knew I'd be doing a lot of standing at the party and they're just so darn comfortable. I even had someone asking me if my crazy shoes hurt my feet, heck no! They may look a little crazy to some, but they are honestly one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes I own.

The party was awesome, filled with some amazing jello shots and good music. A special birthday rap song our friend made the birthday girl was the hit of the night. Lindsey, I'm still waiting for my CD!

Birthday girl

Outfit

Dress: c/o  Sugarlips

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell Lita

Jewelry: Marc Jacobs watch, Cuffs leather cuff, Betsey Johnson heart earrings (similar here), BCBG ring, batman ring, vintage layered gold necklace, Madewell necklace, Duo circle necklace

Purse: Louis Vuitton

Happy 40th MBP

My uncle MBP recently celebrated his 40th birthday (although you'd never be able to tell). He is such an amazing loving hilarious human being. I feel so lucky to not only be apart of his modern family but also to be so close to him. We are able to share everything, which I love! We spent the day shopping as a family, because would you expect us to do anything else? We hit up a few vintage shops and a few modern shops. My favorite was our new discovery, Native Citizen. This store sells mid century modern furniture and art pieces that are used to decorate the owner's retail stores Langford Market and Duo. We happened to get our new dining room chairs from the same owner at a modern market art show a while back and this time we acquired a new computer desk. 

After a bit of shopping and a mid day Starbucks pick me up we drove around neighborhoods looking at homes, which is one of my favorite things to do around Houston. I love discovering new neighborhoods and looking at all the different homes. I'm glad my uncles love to do that as much as I do. We made our way back home where his husband surprised us both with a catered dinner in the comfort of our own home. Bravo Matt, bravo...This dinner was delicious! And what was even better was to have it in the comfort of our own home surrounded by family. Overall Michael had an amazing birthday and I'm so glad to be able to spend another year with him. Cheers Michael!

Matt and I

 Outfit

Dress: Off Fifth

Shoes (not shown): Bakers (old)

Jewelry: Christine Bowden necklace, Betsey Johnson ring (old), Marc Jacobs watch

Glasses: Penguin The Gondorff

This Isn't My First Rodeo

It's official...I have attended my first Rodeo in Texas. I can now put truth into the statement, "This isn't my first Rodeo" (said in a thick Texas accent) It all started that day with a drive home from the gym. I noticed that an exit was blocked, mental note to ask the uncle when I get home. However I didn't need to ask him because as I passed the police blockade I saw a horse, then what the horse was pulling...a covered wagon. This was just the beginning of Rodeo.

Rodeo kicks off with a BBQ cookoff contest that my friends and I went to this past Saturday night. You pay an entry fee to get into the area which is pretty much like a fair, then there are separate tickets for each tent that has entered the contest. We went to a few tents but sadly we got there so late that we didn't get a chance to try any BBQ. The free beer made up for the lack of food, however, and the last tent we went to had a really great band so there was lots of dancing.

The cookoff ended at 11 so we ended up having to leave. But this is definitely on my agenda for when Amanda gets here in just a few days. I'm picturing the much needed funnel cake, silly fair rides, and o ya what makes it different from just your everyday state fair....bull riding! Get ready for an upcoming post about that!

Entrance into the Rodeo

The wonderful police officers manning the tent entrance

Outfit

Top: Forever 21 tank, Green Madewell top (thanks Estelle!)

Jacket: Zara (similar here)

Jeans: 7 for all mankind

Boots: Steve Madden

Jewelery: Madewell necklace, Marc Jacobs ring, Tiffany heart ring, Betsey Johnson Alligator ring
Bag: Louis Vuitton (similar here)

Bianchi meets Awesome Blossom

The other evening we had the pleasure of having Allen Bianchi, famed Houston architect, come visit our home.

I guess I should start off by telling you how my uncles ended up with a Bianchi house...they had been on several design home tours and kept a mental note of which homes they loved. The favorite ones they gravitated towards were designed by Allen Bianchi. The hunt then began for their perfect Bianchi home. About 3 years ago they found the house we're all living in today.

Now back to the visit...Allen came over to see how we had decorated the house and converted the loft space into a nursery for Baby E. We got to browse his website and see his past projects and learn all about his current ones, he's designing a house in Kuwait! I'm also excited to write that we get to see his office this week and learn more about his upcoming projects. We may even be apart of an upcoming project to build our next home, one can only hope!

Awesome Blossom

Allen Bianchi and me

Outfit
Top: Duo 
Bottom: Express (old)
Shoes: Tory Burch 
Jewelry: Duo necklace, Marc Jacobs ring, Betsey Johnson flower earrings