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Hello, all! I am trying to mentally gear up for this weekend’s weather. If I choose to believe the Tribune (with its history of worst-case-scenario forecasting) I think we’re in for 8 below zero Saturday night. Hoorah. I could sure go for a nice Savannah weekend right about now …..

I picked up my new camera lens on Thursday, and started taking photos with it immediately. It’s an 18-200 vr, and I feel like I should be stalking Paris Hilton with it, and not taking closeups of my coffee. What I’d really like to do (eventually) is get some nice bird pictures. Guess what? With our weather right now, there are no birds hanging out in the trees. I’ve looked. On with the Five:

1. middle.
2. Morning brew
3. stay or go?
4. Paris Eats
5. Pine Grosbeak

You knew I’d end up with a bird, didn’t you? Hope your weekend is warmer than mine. See you back here on Monday with Giveaway #2, as well as the regular “news”.

I almost forgot: Friday’s Martha Stewart Show is all about weddings. Should be good – I’m all set to dvr it. (so comcastic)

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Just got back from my son’s soccer practice, where I flipped through magazines (made a dent in the New Yorker – I’m almost caught up. Does anyone stay caught up?) but did not think about what to write on the blog, as I should have. But luck – when I got home and checked my email, my cousin had forwarded me another photographer that I love, and hope that you do, too.

Check out William Brinson’s site. He lives in NYC, and is a graduate of SCAD. I’m his newest fan. Almost halfway through the food portfolio (#13), I came across the chocolate (nutella?) sandwiches and have been craving one ever since. Confession: I just got back after making one. Yum! Take some time and scan through his portfolios, and be sure to visit “New Year’s Resolutions 2007” under Promos. My favorite of his resolutions? Make your everyday routine enjoyable. Yes.

Thanks, tt! My everyday routine today includes a hair appointment (color) and picking up February Vogue, featuring Kate Bosworth. I’ll be bringing my new Flip & Tumble bag to use at the bookstore. Have a great Thursday, and thanks to all for your comments yesterday.

Before we get started, let me remind you that my beauty ideal is a JCrew model, i.e. to look like I am not wearing makeup. Therefore, I propose the following items for the Beauty Hall of Fame: (working clockwise from the top)

1. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment I love this lip balm because it smells great, it tastes great, and it has spf15. In addition, I love the aluminum tube packaging. Perfection!
2. Kiss Me mascara For many years, I didn’t wear mascara at all, except on really dressy occasions, and even then I usually forgot. I wore contacts, and for me, contacts + mascara = feeling that something is in your eye. Not fun. After having lasik, I decided to try a sample tube of Kiss Me that I got from Sephora. I love it – it doesn’t smudge, and washes off with soap and water. This product “tubes” your lashes with color, and you’ll see what I mean the first time you wash it off. Little black tubes all over your sink … but worth it!
3. Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Powder In “Pale Yellow” Loose, or pressed, this is a great all-over powder that doesn’t make my skin orange. (yes, that is a problem with many powders I’ve tried)
4. Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss in “Buff” Another reason to try samples. This was a giveaway at Bobbi Brown counters last January. Ordinarily, I would never look twice at a gloss this color. Looks kind of blah in the tube – but it’s my lip color, which means that it works whenever and with everything. Love the vanilla scent, love the consistency, am okay with the applicator. I wish it were a sponge tip instead of the brush – now that would be perfection.
5. Bobbi Brown Blush in “Almond” Once again, a color I never would have thought would look good on me, but I trusted the makeup artist, and he was right. Whenever I get a compliment on how I look, invariably, I’m wearing this. So natural, and yet gives me a little “oomph”.
6. Phyto 7 Daily Hydrating Botanical Cream This is about the only hair product I’ve stuck with long term. Most shampoos and conditioners stop working for me, and so I am continually looking for the new “ultimate”. But this leave-in conditioner works great, and doesn’t leave my hands greasy after applying. I could stop coloring my hair, and perhaps it wouldn’t be so dry. Yeah, that’s so not going to happen.
7. Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleanser I’ve been using Philosophy products forever – like for over ten years – like back when Barney’s carried the line, and QVC did not. This cleanser is great. Cleans without drying. It just works. You can even shave your underarms with it (supposedly, it breaks down your deodorant for a better shave). I buy the genormous (32 oz.) size at Nordstrom’s anniversary sale and decant into travel size for the sink.
8. Lipstick Queen lipstick in “Saint Rose” Last January, I went to Barney’s to meet Poppy King (the Lipstick Queen!), and buy some of her lipsticks. The shades are available in Sinner (more pigmented and matte) and Saint (lighter pigment and sheer). I’m a Saint girl, so I was working my way through the tubes, and getting Poppy’s opinion on each (it was January and the perfect event when you actually get to meet the makeup artist). Poppy told me that Saint Rose made my lips look like doll’s lips. That may freak you out, but it sold me. I still love it, and will definitely repurchase. It’s a sweet, rosy pink lipstick, and I love the consistency.

Thus concludes the Beauty Hall of Fame. What do you think? Did I fail to mention your favorite product? Add it to the comments below. I think next week will focus on clothing. Stay tuned.

Finally, congratulations, Chelsea! You are the big winner of Giveaway #1. Send me an email with your address (visit my profile) and I’ll pop the book in the mail! Giveaway #2 (not a book) is next Monday ….

p.s. How could I fail to mention that I am in love with MacBook Air? How? We were meant to be together!

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…. I’ve been ripping out pages from magazines, printing out pages from the web, and generally compiling lists, sometimes in my head. For example, I’m thinking about:

Music from:

• Andrew Bird I heard his song “Fiery Crash” at my sister’s December 1 wedding. Asked the deejay who it was, and hit up iTunes the next day. For some reason, mid-January, I can’t get it out of my head. He’s from a nearby suburb, too. Bonus!
• Guitar Hero Loving that my son has moved on from Foghat’s “Slow Ride” (hello 1978!), and has “unlocked” The Killers’ “When You Were Young”. This Wii thing is working out well.

Clothing from:

• Mes Vetements Educatifs It’s so simple: I. Want. This. Shirt. It’s awesome! Why, oh why, does it only come up to size 8/9 years?
• Theory “Ivon” Dress (#4 of 32) Proof that my clothing taste is not completely infantile.

Graphic design (and concept) of:

• The Baker Boys Thanks, Cakespy, for showing me why I must visit New Jersey! Beautiful site, and the food sounds right up my alley.

Paperwhites (see photo above): Flowers are welcomed at my house in January with open arms. Any bouquet from Winston Flowers would be nice as well.

Tomorrow, it’s the Beauty Hall of Fame, as well as the Giveaway winner! Stay tuned.

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New Year’s Resolutions bring out the over-achiever in me. It’s like a second blast of self-improvement (the first is back-to-school time, by the way). Over the weekend, I turned in our kitchen remodel plans for approval, placed a CSA subscription for this summer,  and wrote my first Modern Letter Project letter. That one was hard, because I haven’t received a letter yet, and perfectionist that I am, I wanted to see what I “should” be writing. So I apologize in advance to my first letter receiver. Your letter is on its way, but you were my guinea pig. February should be much easier to write, and hopefully, more fun to read.

The paperwhite bulbs I received as a Christmas present are just starting to bloom. It’s a wonderful treat, because it seems very cloudy lately. Like “where’s the sun?” cloudy. Looking on the bright side, cloudy usually means warmer weather in winter, and I’m grateful for that. But still, a little sun would go a long way toward inspiring me to take photos. I keep waiting for the light to improve. It’s not. (By the way, if you live where it’s cloudy a lot, like Seattle or Portland,  you may well be interested in this week’s giveaway. See the post below.) Ready yourself for next week’s complaint: it’s sunny, but it’s so cold!

As for Monday, I’m headed to school to ready Art Adventure lesson #2, take a French lesson, and do a little Ballet. (The ballet is kicking my butt. Seriously.)

See you tomorrow!