I just got back from the Big Apple very  late last night.  I’ve never been to New York City in January, and it was cold baby cold!  But not unbearable, in fact it was rather brisk.  Do people still use that word?  Brisk?  Anyway, I do a ton of walking when in NYC, and this trip was no exception.  I was staying on the upper west side.  In past trips, I haven’t had a chance to really explore it all that much, so this was the perfect opportunity!  The Upper West Side felt very "You’ve Got Mail” (minus the gorgeous weather in the film) and understandably so, since most of the movie was shot there.   

I was scheduled for the afternoon taping with Nate, so I spent the earlier hours walking around the upper west side.  Loved it!  Here’s a few scenes from my long morning walk, forgive the cloudiness of some of these photos, the lens kept getting foggy from the morning drizzle!

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Hi all!  I’m on an airplane across the country today, one of several trips I’m taking over the next few weeks.  Airplane travel always justifies a trip to the bookstore for some new books plus a handful of glossy magazines, so I picked up some new reads today. 

There’s a few great books on my nightstand right now that I’ve read lately, so I thought I’d share. 

Let’s start with the eye candy. I’m loving Suzanne Kasler’s Inspired Interiors*, 200 pages full of classic elegant spaces, just my style!

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Before the holidays, I made myself a promise that I would take some time off to be with my family after Christmas and I kept it!  I wrote up a few posts, set them to publish over the course of last week, then off we went with some friends to escape to one of our most favorite destinations, gorgeous Lake Tahoe. 

Have you ever been?  It’s just about my favorite vacation spot in all of California (although it shares part of the geography with Nevada).  I love being in the mountains.  I love vast forests covered with snow as far as the eye can see.  And I love a tranquil lake sitting in the middle of it all.

Whenever we caught a break in the weather, we went exploring.  Snowy woods always remind me of this Robert Frost poem.

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It’s roundup time right?  My good friend Rhoda is hosting a fab party, and how perfect is a ‘Top Projects’ post this time of year?  Here are my favorite projects from 2010, the ones that gave me the most satisfaction, taught me something new, scared the bajeezus out of me, or simply made my world a better place. 

January: 

That ‘Five Days to a Fresh Start’ series where I kicked my booty into gear with some serious decluttering, recycling, filing, and all natural cleaning. 

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February:

I repainted my kitchen island and walls.  There are more improvements on the horizon next year for this space, including a new backsplash just behind the range.  The white tile stays, the yellow can say ‘buh bye’. 

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