Instant Access - 9/26 - 10/23

It's been a busy few weeks around here.  Furniture Market for my clients, a trip to New York to work with some blogger friends, a brief bout with a cold, opening our pub, backyard movie nights and spending time getting ready for the cooler seasons while finding them already upon us.
In the midst of that are, of course, shoes!

From my copper Marc Jacobs' oxfords...

Candy colored Converse....

Acquisitions over the last few months required a reworking of the shoe cabinets.  Only the extra special ones get prime placement...

While giving the cabinets a reshuffle, I played with some old friends, including Fendi's Cinderellas...

Louboutin...

YSL...

A random Tuesday needed some sparkle...

And then there were two pairs that I've been pining for.  First, the super shiny Alexander Wang tasseled pumps...

And then the over-the-top glitter Miu Miu sneakers....

Did the whole Seasonal Swap of clothes where I realize I have way too many grey and black sweaters.

Oh, yeah, my other obsession nail polish.

China Glaze's Phat Santa is my new favorite red.

Sally Hansen's Halloween designs are so fun.  This is Numbskull...

To match my new glitter sneakers I wore black matte tips and black shatter over China Glaze's Midnight Kiss.

In between all the hubbub, I found a few moments to nap in the hammock.

While others hogged the heated bed on a chilly night.

Oh yeah, I found this guy - a stapleless stapler!

Fall is starting off amazing!

Instant Access - 9/12 - 9/25

These past few weeks have been challenging.  But we are all together.  We drove to Illinois again, this time for the memorial for my Father-in-Law.  It was a beautiful event.  Hudreds of people attended and it took almost 3 hours for everyone to come through.  It was a great testimony to how beloved he was. These flowesrs were the centerpiece of the event and were so joyful and stunning and perfect.

We went through woods, over rivers and under mountains....

The dogs are great car companions...

What are you reading now???

My nails have been trashed lately, but I'm keeping them somewhat polished.  This is Deborah Lippmann's Naked with Essie's Midnight Cami and China Glaze's Midnight Kiss dots using my new dotting tool (which I LOVE).

I have a problem.  More new polish...

And my new bracelet from Rahya Designs via Miss Malprop was a sunny spot to my day.

I hope you had a good week!

Be Prepared

As a Florida Native, I've lived through many a hurricane and tropical storm.  So, rather than talk about shoes or clothes, I'm going to share a few personal tips.

1. Never leave your pets.

Our last year in Florida we had 4 hurricanes go through our area in 6 weeks.  Category 3s.  We did not leave our pets.  We lost power.  It was a pain.  I still would never have left, because many shelters still don't allow pets.  This is my personal POV but I would never leave my pets to fend for themselves.  Especially seeing all of what happened in Katrina.

Here is a Pets and Disaster checklist from the Red Cross.

Here is a list of places you can evacuate to in NYC for the storm from the ASPCA.

USE THEM!

2. You should save water and have food.  Fill up your freezer now with containers of water.  It will help keep it cold should the power go out for a bit and you can drink it later.

3. Batteries, candles, flashlights, fans - yep!  But be careful with the matches.

4. If power goes out, assume water from the tap is not safe to drink.  Water treatment stations are probably without water too.

5. You can still cook on a gas stove (possibly) even if the electricity goes out.  Stay safe too!

6. Texts go through easier than calls.

7. Do you have a battery operated radio?  How will you know what is going on if the Internet and power is out?

8. Towels are multi-purpose

9. No power or water?  May want to consider the old adage "if it's yellow, let it mellow...".   You'll only get so many tank refills.  JUST SAYIN!

10. Make friends with your neighbors.  You can pool your resources and help you cook and eat all the food that's about get spoiled.  If you fridge goes about 50 degrees for any significant amount of time animal-based foods will be risky. Great time to go vegan!

Need advice?  Let me know.  The hours before the storm are the most boring part.  There is only so much the TV stations can say that they haven't said 50 times in the last hour.

Instant Access - 4/18 - 4/24

What a week!  Work is crazy so I feel like I'll I have time for is Instant Access Instagram pics!

I finally received my Knock-out nail polishes.  Aren't the bottles pretty?  I got Flatte Black, Powder, Flatte Top and Karen.

I also found the lace and houndstooth Salon Effects.  I'm not sure which I want to try first!

I had to give the matte polish a try.  It's thicker than regular polish so I need to get used to the application.  But I love it!

Can I just say that I love Libertine. Skulls and argyle go perfectly.

As do Manolos and hot pink toes. Aren't these Suleys amazing.

Tested out the new Esprit d'Oscar perfume.

More fuchsia! This time with neon orange, polka-dots and bows a la JCrew.

We had Friday off which I spent doing nothing but watching movies like Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. Plus it was rainy, so that's my excuse.  On Saturday our neighbor, a local artist, hosted a art show.

Her chickens....

... which obviously inspire her art!

GPOY Saturday Night!

After rain Friday and Saturday, Sunday was gorgeous so I spent some of the morning outside with the flowers and the animals.

Jakey!

Meggie!

My goatsie girls.

Lemonade anyone?

We also got a new hammock.  So my plans for doing work flew right out the window. Jealous, anyone?

This was an even better way to end the week.

Hope your weekend was glorious!

Silent and Still

We only expected flurries, but around mid-morning we started to get a pretty steady snow fall.  It's so beautiful in our yard and the songbirds appreciated the seed and water we put out for them every day.

Badger had the right idea and curled up near the radiator.

We didn't have a lot to do other than a friend's party so the next day we watched movies and put up our Christmas decorations.  We don't go too crazy. A wreath, a tree, our stockings and a few other pieces here and there.   But combined with the warm wood of the library, our shiny black living room mantle and some pumpkin spice candles, the rooms seemed warm and cozy.

Then we settled in for a holiday snuggle.

I love the early darkness, the light snowfalls that are still new to this Miami-bred girl, and the snuggly pups and kitties.

What's your favorite part of winter?