links and thoughts

did you have a nice weekend? i did. it was one of those weekends where you do things you have to do and things you want to do in nice balance.

first, i definitely have spring fever, as do our cats who are running around like crazy little critters, scratching and sliding on anything that will have them.

i made this soup over the weekend, and it was delicious. i used half regular curry powder and half hot curry powder. seriously good. i think this one will be next. i'm happy to have a slight interest in cooking renewed, and i take inspiration from cooks like hali bey who can reinvent and rethink as they go. like my aunt louisa too, whose interview answers here inspire me.

speaking of healthy cooking, are you watching bethenny ever after? LOVE. HER. flaws and all. and i also love the relatively new "25 things you don't know about me" feature in us weekly. so when it features her, i'm golden. read her 25 things here.



i've been obsessively thinking about a tropical vacation these days and although the bedford post inn isn't tropical, it looks amazingly lovely in this post from erin at elements of style. add to the equation that it's owned by my own true love richard gere and...WINNING.

also from erin, check out this dog hotel. it's nicer than many of the places i've stayed.

i know my writing life is one with my personal life because of things like this...the last two color schemes i wrote about on BRIDEfinds (here and here) are quite prominent in my apartment, my accessories, my wardrobe and my event plans.

i've started wearing makeup differently so this application guide was actually interesting to me. hope you think so too. such a good point about looking down when you do undereye concealer rather than up.

now onto wedding links...

this is kind of nutso...an engagement ring for under $160 featured on the broke-ass bride last week. would you want to be involved in picking out your own engagement ring? would you be open to a totally non-traditional engagement ring?

how gorgeous is the matthew williamson bridal collection featured on BRIDEfinds? i am OBSESSED with a few of these, mainly these.


OBSESSED.

look at the festive, handmade wedding details of this south african wedding featured on the wedding chicks.


read about this young, sweet couple featured on bwed last week whose relationship faced a major stress and challenges early on. we've all worried about what would happen if it rained on our wedding day, or if anything was less than perfect. imagine having to scrap your original plans and cancel the wedding altogether...

top image, all other images from linked sites