why does it have to start with mayonnaise..?

Beautiful cover, awesome introduction by the author, EVEN a great movie-adaption; Julie and Julia, (you know that movie with Amy Adams as a newbie-chef/blogger that gains a cult following and a love for life and "cooking dangerously" and food and Julia's life and everything else good in life?), yes...that one. I started THAT book today - little did I know it would start with mayonnaise...

" Mayonnaise, like hollandaise, is a process of forcing egg yolks to

 absorb a fatt substance, oil in this case,

and to hold it in think and creamy suspension."

--Mastering the Art of French Cooking...

"It's hard to make mayonnaise by trial and error."

--The Joy of Sex

Yes, that is indeed how it begins. Did I know where it was going from there? No. Did I have to stop reading for a while in hopes that I wouldn't begin to gag? Hell yes. Seriously! Starting off with MAYO??! That stuff makes me creeeeep all over. It's a ridiculous fear of mine; yes, fear. Not a weird food that I don't have the acquired taste for - it makes me want to gag, turn and run, and sometimes even blow up buildings...all at the same time. I will never make mayonnaise, not ever.

And it left me asking; "How the hell does 'The Joy of Sex' fit into this?"

I guess I'll find out. I'm going to go read now....here's the link to the ORIGINAL Julie/Julia Project - the blog that started it all.

ready for the sun...

Yesterday: Sunny, gorgeous, and wonderful! Just imagine seeing a whole box full of brand-spankin' new yellow and golden crayons, and you've got a perfect picture of yesterday through my open window. Today? MISERABLE. Gross. Rainy. Soggy. Sodden. Grey grey grey.  Some days are 'gooood' grey-days; where you feel like cuddling and hot chocolate. But today was just gross.

I even lost my blue suede wedge to the mud puddles. So uncool. I had to throw on the extra slippers I somehow HAPPENED to have in my truck....thank goodness for my being prepared like a damn boy scout.

In lieu of a cool clothes-post, answering "WHAT in the world did Chloe decide to wear today?", I thought I'd do a little SPECIAL on SUNGLASSES. Because they will hopefully be coming in handy soon. Real soon. *Fingers crossed for sun tomorrow!*

Oh yes, these are my newest additions: my, "oh goodness, I'm so cool," sunnies. Nabbed em' at Forever 21 for cheap cheap. Don't you just love that store?! I'm going to sound like a complete fan-girl here, but it's incredible. I really feel like I'm in a fancy-schmancy department store. (But I LOVE to actually walk out of F21 with a bag full of cheap, modern items versus a single expensive piece at a REAL dept. store.) I was definitely inspired to buy these shades by Mary Kate and Ashley's new book, Inspiration....ie, the coffee table book of my dreams. Interviews, poloroids, the bomb. More about that here...

These are definitely "Rawr, baby! Rawr!", with just a small touch of purple on the insides. I remember buying them at a random trip to the Ross store with Nick....and then promptly wearing them while dining at Panda Express. It was a good day. Good veggie rolls and a good day. I swear, Chinese food just tastes better when you wear some sunglasses. :) And attempt to use chopsticks.

I'm pretty proud of this wall. The other 4 walls look similar, but this one has a cool shelving unit I made. As for the coverings? Lots of tape, lots of cutting out of mags. Ohhhh! I spy Keith Richards with my little eye! Can you find HIM?! Red Ray Bans from prom last year. Awesome.

Good work, MK. LOVE your selection of sunnies. :)

Erdem &&&

This is random - but saying those two names so close together reminded of the ever-indulgent, always-amazing Ben&Jerry's...weird. Gosh, ice cream is good.

Anyways...moving ON with my favorite 2010 Fall RTW lines. Today is all about Erdem; they completely blew me away with suckerpunches of bold prints, gorgeous cuts, and retro-ish design. Brillant, yet still bright and not stuck up. I would wear these to class and not feel like a complete uuber-goob for being to "fashion-y." You know what I'm talking about? That feeling...you're over-dressed and left feeling awkward in your nicey-nice clothes. (Not that I'm saying dressing nice is bad; I'm honestly not comfortable unless I'm dressed up a bit), but we've all been there...that dreaded 'Fancy-Schmancy' clothes feeling.  All pictures from Style.com.

Short? Yes. Basic shapes? Definitely. THATS the magic of it. You can never go wrong with a classic shape in a bold new color/print. These are similar to walking around in a science experiment...(or a Grateful Dead concert...).  As for the adorable belted skirt, the high-collared dresses, the twist on the high-waisted skirt, all I can say is beauuutiful. Take that one to heart.

seeing the sky/tasting the blue/showing you life/its all just for you...

Ok...Alice and Olicia...for Payless. Very cool. I'm in love with the black 'mesh' platforms at the top; lovely and powerful and awesome all in one. pink dress in center, Betsey Johnson. floral two piece, D&G. 3 looks, all prairie inspired in upper left, Chanel, D&G, Ralph Lauren.

The polka-dotted monster..

Yes. It was jus that. I'm NOT exaggerating...that old prom dress was, in absolute 'all seriousness', a monster. I nabbed it in Goodwill one day while scouring for good "dress-up" dresses, (I was only 6, by the way. It wasn't some activity for a hot Friday night. Have to release my inner Disney princess somehow, right? Exactly.) 

How do i even begin to  describe the...the...utter HUGE-NESS of this dress, in it's former life before I snipped and cut and sliced it up. Snow queen-esque. Sleeves poufer than Napoleon Dynamite's date. ("I made them myself...") Huge bodice. Corset ribing. Princess cut front. A train. YES. A TRAIN. WHO WEARS A TRAIN TO PROM?? Really?! Stepping on it. Having it stepped on. Hauling it in the limo. Ohhh..the big question; Going to the BATHROOM? Talk about difficult...I need tea just thinking about it.

(Ok - so maybe the train wasn't THIS extream...but it was pretty 'out-there'.)

I had quite a bit of extra time on the President's Day-weekend, so the fabric scissors came out. And the pins. And the ol' Singer. Oh yeah - and some Fratellis on the stereo; perfect pump-up music for various things that need a dose of Brit-sarcasm-hoppy-rock that inclues content about lovable stoners. Perfect.

Anyways, back to the original meaning of this. I made a pretty rad, *ahemmm..if I do say so muh-self...mini dress out of it. Scoop-neck. Short-short-short. (Required me checking my slip dress all afternoon, making sure it wasn't making any appearances.) But so worth it. Just added a simple F21 patent belt, some very purple boots, my vintage LV bag, and an Old Navy cardigan and VOILA! DRESS! MADE COOL AGAIN!

Recycling is fun.

you smell like home/you are home/you're just where i belong...

Nick made me dinner tonight.  I think I've finally figured out how to describe it; how to describe him. Amazingly weird yet so wonderful. Its stumbling upon that person that suddenly makes your house feel like a home. Someone who gives your favorite song some interesting new facet...notes you've never noticed. Someone who...just...how do I say it without so much mush? I guess...he just lives so much -  to the highest extream and to the highest level - that you're blissfully carried along too. Wherever the hell he's going, that is exactly where I want to be. Thats how it is. Thats how he is...and his lasagna is damn good. Really good.

This lasagna was actually SO easy to make, not to mention MUCH more fun when you have a "chef" in the kitchen. :) Nick plans on attending the INCA at Spokane Community College. (Holla' to my class mates there right now!) And that INCA-business doesn't stand for some Mayan or Aztec tribe..it's the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy. I'm incredibly excited for him...he's a great cook and learning more every day. (AND I'm learning a whole new way of looking at food, through a critical quasi-chef assistant...it's crazy. I almost feel like his unofficial sous-chef!)

Hors d'oeuvres were on the menu too, of course. I swear, the moment he steps into my kitchen it somehow transforms into a 5-star cuisine heaven...ok, maybe 3-star, at the least. We probably have some Twinkies in the cupboard, does that dock down on some stars? Anyways, these bad boys were totally made from leftovers, and still totally delicious. Taco shells, spreadable Laughing Cow swiss, fresh tomatos, peppercorns, parmesan, and love. That's it...he has a good eye for plating; something I'll never understand. I'd be perfectly happy if most foods came in something equivalent to a yogurt container or a cereal box. That's perfectly fine with me.

I'm a pretty rough-lookin' sous chef tonight.

Here's hoping that Anthony Bourdain would be proud...

At least we have a memory of today, (other than

cold lasagna left-overs tomorrow)...even though it is a bit blurry.

we'll ring those bells/we'll beat the drum; peter's song...

Not just ANY Peter, but the richly saturated ahhhmazing designs of Peter Som. He's going to be my first favorite designer of this years Fall RTW. (More to come..definitely. I've never been able to, in all my years of loving the Fall lines, choose a single favorite designer/collection combination...)

I really really really love this cool twist on the LBD. I've realized a really great rule this year; black = perfect. It was one of my classics last year, a fitted black rock tee, or some black skinnies, even the occasional black nails or black patent ballet flats. But THIS year, on the other hand, black is rocking the free world...and all other worlds yet to be..freed.  Black tights? Buy em' in bulk. Black shoes? Will give you more milage than a hybrid. But my favorite of the season, the little black dress, will take you many many places. Here, Peter Som's twist on the black dress are perfect for the many things busy ladies do..for example,

- To class: Pile on a sweater, a flannel, and a denim jacket and you've got grungy-classic meets early-Marc style. Can that go wrong? No. No. No.

-To work: Throw on some cute ballet flats or some classy sandals, a little cardigan and a bag. What have we got here? A very pretty lady up for a promotion AND best-dressed of the office. Damn girl. Now that's the way to go.

- On a date: You'll be able to wear it on every first date you ever go on...(with changing accessories, of course.) Don't do the same shoes-cuff-clutch combination EVERY first date....that's just....not good.

It's simple; trench coats are all cool. Especially this pattern,

a cool pattern-child of quasi-animal and sketchbook.

I'm insanely drawn to all belted cardigans. With a skirt and tights, this is classic work-ware, (with a sucker punch of color bursting from the top.) Like a big dose of the Grateful Dead on your chest...

and that's what I love about it.

I've seen a lot of this texture-mixing lately, and to be honest, I havn't been that big of a fan. Rachel Zoe's fur vests? Not my cup of tea...or shirt of fuzz, either way. They just reminds me of, a) A unique genetic mishap between a human and a gerbil, or b) A SEVERE lack of chest/back-waxing. Neither are cool. Neither are good. BUT, Peter Som to the rescue, we get this smooth texture with a purple and black dye. Almost feathery, not furry. That's a motto I could live by.

Atta' boy, Peter. xoxo

goodbye mcqueen...

I'm almost positive every fash'/style blog on Planet Earth has covered it; not even out of pure journalist scour or a need to be 'in the know'....Alexander McQueen actually touched peoples hearts. He got a reaction out of people, he was provoking, he was just utterly himself. For me, especially with his last line, he just made it so incredibly OK to be yourself and wear whatever the hell you wanna wear. Does it have to be red carpet-worthy? No. Does it have to be perfectly flattering and or suave? Hell no. According to McQueen, it doesn't even have to look like it even remotely came from this planet!

And that was the best...nothing ever had to be generic. Now, thanks to him, nothing has to be generic again. Hell yeah, Armadillo Toes.

Here are a few of my favorite 'farewell' posts....RIP.

Style Rookie, 1969 - 2010

Fashionista, God Save the Queen, The Designer That Brought Me To Tears, (Britt Aboutaleb)

Fashionista, The Fashion World Remembers Alexander McQueen, (Lauren Sherman)

magic...

Sue Wong's line, inspired by the upcoming 'Alice in Wonderland'....

Love it, or kinda like it, or hate it??...

(Nightie, with lace of course, for daytime...)

(Love the ethereal feeling of these...but is it just me,

or does the grey one to the right resemble a dust bunnie?)....

(Ahhh..inspired by the Red Queen...

I really like this one, but seeing from how

much I LOVED the red foufy one before, I must have

a 'thing' for red dresses..)

...)

just that...and that's it

31 - 17

The score. The BIG score. This is honestly my FIRST year of rooting for a team and having them succeed from Day 1. The Rams? Have been my best bet for a while...but not for the past few seasons. The Bengals? Really neat uniforms, but you know...Ocho Cinco was just about the coolest thing under the sun. I mean, really? Changing your name to your jersey number? Intense love right there. Very intense.

Michael, (the very musical, very talented, very cool friend), had another show in Pullman last night. This was a new place called Zoe's. Like I said last time, Pullman is a very hip-happenin' place, and this coffeehouse/bar was a great addition that I've never even heard of. Man...was I missing out.

And of course, it was another amazing show. I really do think that the vibe, the feeling, (and especially the African Spice tea), added to the flavor of the show. Well, wow. Don't I sound so cool talking about "flavors" and "vibes"; watch out Rolling Stone...my reviews will be on top.

I guess Michael's show was the AFTER PARTAY of the night...here are a few simple clue words: Bowling. Veggie burger. Dissmore's. Guitar store. Get lost. Zoe's. Good jazz.

(Nick sure had fun..kinda..:D)

(Ha..I'm very sure that wasn't a very high score...)

(Ohhh coffee smells so good...tastes good too.)

(Yeah! THOSE are Princess Spaghetti-o's!)

And the end of the night....a lovely cup of tea and a really good show.

Not a bad day. Not a bad day at all.

a 3 course meal...or 4...or 5

Plating and photography

by Nick....and man,

I am seriously craving an

ice cream sammy right now.

Just like Jake Gyllenhaal,

ridiculously good-looking...:)

(Ice cream sandwhich, coated with crushed Cheerios,

with home-made chocolate and whipped cream sauces.)