The Seven Spot

Art for Art's Sake

Most of you probably know that I'm a borderline crazy cat lady.  Or maybe a full-fledged crazy cat lady, depending on how you define it.  It's all relative, no?  Anyway, what you might not know is that I come by this very honestly.  Not only is my mom a certifiable CCL, but my dad and brother are loony for cats too.  The fact that my dad had a cat when my parents started dating was one of the things that helped my mom know he was "the one" (see- we really are nuts). 

I got my first cat when I was six years old.  His name was Snuggball and I adored him.  My brother also had a cat; his name was Eclipse and he was Snuggy's brother.  And by the way, "Eclipse" is pronounced "EEEEEclipse" and Snuggball MUST be spelled with 2 g's.  Are you getting the whole crazy cat people thing yet?  Well, just in case you aren't totally convinced, let me share with you a little something I like to call the greatest Christmas present that ever was.  Drum-roll please...

This is going to end up being quite the long post, but I have to do justice.  "Oh, a picture of a cat" I can hear you saying.  And you would be half correct.  This is a picture of a cat.  An oil portrait, actually.  But it's not any old cat.  Let me flash-back here to my Art History exam days, and write up a little interpretation for you...

This portrait is entitled simply "The Miss Ellie."  Kind of like The Mona Lisa.  Miss Ellie is my dad's cat.  When Eclipse and Snuggy passed away, we were all down in the dumps.  I brought Miss Ellie home from the animal shelter and right into my dad's arms.  Anyone seen "Meet the Parents?"  Picture Robert DeNiro and Jinxy cat, and you'll get a picture of Miss Ellie and dad's relationship.  Yep, he might be the craziest one of all. 

So a few years ago my brother and I were home for Thanksgiving when we spotted an ad in the local paper for an artist that does oil pet portraits.  Genius.  We rushed right over to meet Nance and commission a work as a Christmas gift to dad.  Normally, Nance likes to meet with the animal so she can get a good idea of their "personality" but since this was a surprise that didn't really work out.  I did my best to tell her all about Miss Ellie's demeanor and style, and of course brought several pictures for reference.  And this portrait captured it all.  I don't think I've ever been so excited to give someone a gift as I was that Christmas morning.  Initially, this whole thing was kind of a joke.  But when my dad first saw the portrait his eyes got a little teary.  Sorry, dad.  Your secret's out. 

The next year, my mom subtly hinted that she would love a portrait of her cat, Hamilton.  And by "subtly hinted," I mean she flat out told us on numerous occasions.  Ok, mom.  Point taken.  So I scrounged up more pictures, wrote up a little biography, and called up Nance again for the Hamilton portrait.  A few weeks later, she called me and said that Hamilton looked a little like The Sphinx in his portrait, and would it be ok if she painted a pyramid behind him.  "Nance, you have complete creative license in this project," I said.  "You paint Hamilton any way you see fit."  And she was right- he does look like The Sphinx:

Son of a gun.  I took a pic of the painting with SF's cell phone and made it his wallpaper.  And he can't figure out how to get it off, so it's been on there for over a year now.  He was at lunch with a client recently who saw it and remarked on how interesting it was.  SF confessed that it was in fact an oil portrait of his fiance's parents' cat.  "Hmm, that's kind of creepy" was the client's reply.

Last but certainly not least, I couldn't resist putting Nance's skills to use in capturing my brother's beloved Eclipse.  Ben absolutely HAD to have one too.  I love how his portrait turned out:

It really captures what I like to call the "essence" of Eclipse.  If you look closely you can see a deck of cards on the table in front of him.  Well, Eclipse was a bit out there...  My dad called him "Rain Cat" and said he was going to take him to Vegas to count cards.  They would have made a great team, those two hustlers.  It's only fitting that Ben had the portrait framed in a huge gold museum-type frame.  Perfect.

I got an email from Nance yesterday asking if she could use me as a reference.  Absolutely.  You probably won't find more of a fan of hers than me.  I had thought about commissioning a portrait of Henry & Jackson as a gift to SF, but decided that he is genuinely freaked out enough by the thought of them coming to live with him in four months.  But once we're all settled in, I'll be calling Nance again.  In fact, I think I need one of Snuggball too.  Hey mom- hint hint...

The First of Many Untitled Posts

I discovered recently that you don't have to title each post.  Hmmmm...  I didn't realize that.  I like coming up with post titles most days, but sometimes (like now) I just can't come up with one.  So nothing catchy today, kids.  Stay tuned and I promise to come up with tons of catchy titles...

It was another relatively quiet weekend for us.  Friday night I cooked dinner and we watched "Capote."  Saturday the whole crew (except for poor little teetotaling me) went to a wine tasting at The Chase.  I met up with everybody later because we had tickets to see Big Head Todd at The Pageant.  They're one of our very favorite bands and I've seen them in concert at least six times.  And of course we couldn't go down to The Loop without having dinner at Blueberry Hill.  Here's Karen and I posing for a pic on the St. Louis walk of fame.  You gotta give love to Nelly, the city's own son:

Ignore the deranged psychopath look on my face- it was 20 degrees and I didn't have a coat (I didn't want it to get all smoky in the club, mom.  Otherwise I promise I would have bundled up).  Karen says that her little hand signals mean "west side" but I think they are a little more "west county" than hip-hop (you St. Louisans will get that one). 

And last but not least, Heather writes:

I see you like Nars lip gloss.  Any particular shade you would recommend?

I do like Nars lip gloss-  in fact, I love it.  My very favorite shade is Stella, which Nars refers to as a "muted raspberry".  I'm not sure how it would look on a blonde, but I have dark hair and pale skin, and I think it's the perfect shade.  In summer I go a bit pinker, and I really like Foul Play. You always hear beauty editors rave about Orgasm, but it's way too orange for me.  Risky Business is a new color that I haven't tried yet, but the description of "shimmering berry red" sounds pretty good to me.  I also really love Urban Decay's Lube in a Tube in LA.  It's got a great minty taste and is easy to apply even without a mirror.  Let me know if you try any and which are your favorites!

I'm an it!

Oh crap- I mean I'm it.  As in I've been tagged in the latest meme going around.  Thanks, Mrs. P! 

Six Weird Things About Me

1. I scream in my sleep.  Don't believe me?  Ask SF and my college roommates.  I don't talk in my sleep, I SCREAM.  And I often scream obscenities.  Yep.
2. I also flail around like a crazy person.  Kicking and screaming.  Once I woke SF up by hitting him while yelling "YOU WILL NOT!" 
3. I hate all seafood except for tuna from a can.  Loooove tuna from a can.  In fact, I'll eat it straight from the can.
4. I don't balance my checkbook.  I never really know how much money I have in the bank, I just estimate it in my head.  So far, this system has worked very well for me.  I try to estimate on the low side just in case. 
5. I spit a lot when I run.  When my friend Holly and I ran the Kona Half-Marathon I was spitting the whole way and she was farting.  And we had to run fast because all the boys were chasing us (obviously).
6. I hate discussing movies after I've seen them.  SF and I went to see "The Good Shepherd" last weekend and we got in a little tiff on the way home because he wanted to pick it apart and I refused to talk about it.

And that's all for today.  But a real quick shout-out to my old friend Jim who tracked me down today.  Welcome, G!

Happy Birthday, Bug!

Today is a very big milestone birthday for my beloved mom.  No, I won't tell you how old she is, because even if I did you wouldn't believe me.  My mom has aged more gracefully than any woman I've ever known.  She is also the most patient and understanding person I've ever known. 

Bug, our friendship is one of the brightest spots in my life.  You make my day every time I talk to you.  I hope that your day is as fabulous as you are.

Lots of love from your Sadie Bug!

Confession

Ok, since I'm in the process of becoming Catholic, I thought I'd try this out (just kidding).  But here is a confession:

My favorite shoes right now are these $10 slippers that I got at Target.  SF calls them "the mocassins."  They are the most comfy shoes I've ever owned and I looooove them.  And it's not enough just to wear these all around town to run my weekend errands.  Oh no.  To truly make a statement, I pair them with my very favorite socks:

Jimmy Choo, eat your heart out.

Thank you, Chloe!

My dear blogging friend Chloe over at English Tea Paperie did the absolute sweetest thing for me.  Today this beautiful set of personalized notecards arrived in the mail along with a pick-me-up note:

And these super-wonderful Cardinal ones:

I love them!!  What a lovely and thoughtful gift.  Chloe, you are a doll and I love you!  You definitely made my day.  And for the record, I'm starting to feel much better after a very relaxing weekend and a day at the spa, compliments of SF.  He always gives me a spa day for Christmas.  The first year he did it, I was so impressed and shocked with the gift I couldn't believe that he had picked it out on his own.  "How on earth did you know to go to that particular spa?" I asked, since it really is one of the nicest in St. Louis.  "Oh, I sued them a few years ago when they burned someone during an eyebrow waxing.  So be careful, ok?"  Umm...  Good to know, thanks.  But I'm not sure which scares me more:  the thought of being burned, or having a uni-brow.  Tough choice. 

Anyway, nothing makes me feel better than checking things off of my wedding to-do list.  Today I booked my hair and makeup trials and wedding day appointments.  And I've also picked out all of my stationary.  As a matter of fact, Chloe is doing a lot of this for me.  Here's a sample of the thank you notes we picked out (except mine will be on white cardstock):

That's a green grosgrain ribbon with cholocate brown dots.  Simple, elegant, and a little bit whimsical- which is the exact theme I'm going for with our wedding.  And here are the escort cards we decided on (this is my attempt at  a sample...):

Obviously, I suck at calligraphy and will be outsourcing that job to my very creative friend Karen.  Speaking of Karen (I'm the queen of segues today, no?) I got to see her on Friday when we all went to a fundraiser for the St. Louis Art Fair at the Black Cat Theatre:

The theme of the party was "Fancy Pants" and guests were encouraged to wear their  most outrageous pair of pants.  Now, I looove theme parties and would have come up with an elaborate and no-doubt fabulous costume, had SF not told me of the theme an hour before the party started.  Sigh.  All I had were regular old pants.  "You can wear that one pair of the pants with the pink monkeys on them," SF says to me.  To which I rolled my eyes and scoffed "you don't wear resort Lilly in January."  Everyone knows that, dumbass.  And although my bright pink Lilly cords with embroidered ducks would have been a great choice, and also appropriate for winter, they no longer fit me thanks to the gallbladder diet of not being able to eat a damn thing.  Heidi, I'm sure you are doing backflips right now.  Rest assured, they will be replaced soon, so don't get too excited.  Just think of them as my version of the gold J. Lo coat, ok?  We've all got our fashion vices...

And a final note for today:  lots of love to Monogram Momma for starting up the tabloid fantasy league!  Anyone that's interested in joining our team (The Preppy Paparazzi) can get info over at her site.  It's great to finally have my People magazine-reading considered "studying."  I personally have always thought of it that way...

Dear Fluffy,

Your blog is f-ing hilarious.

Love, Sarah

Grouchy

It's all about self-realization today.  Yeah, I think I totally just made up that term.  Whatever.  I'm grouchy tonight, and looking deep inside to find out why...  Scary...

I usually try to keep things positive here, but tonight I'm just down in the dumps.  When I actually think about it, I really don't have anything to be sad about.  But the problem is that I don't stop to think about it enough.  It's so easy to let stress completly take over.  I'm making myself sick with stress, which makes me more stressed, which makes me sicker...  And all over again.  I think I'm too hard on myself.

And I think I should listen to my mom when she tells me to CHILL OUT.

Yes they do!

I just had to post this before going to bed, because I find it truly hilarious.  Most people find my blog through the blogs of my fabulous preppy cyber-friends (we all link together), but occassionaly I'll get a hit from someone doing a google search.  The most common ones are "preppy wedding" and "fun wedding stuff." 

But today I got a hit when someone went in search of "Ameren Sucks."  I shared my thoughts about our power company a month or so ago when we had our last ice storm.  And once again, thousands of St. Louisans are without power after this weekend's latest storm. 

So whoever you are, random Ameren hater... Welcome!  I hope you stay and visit.  Although, I must warn you, I've been told more than once that "the lights are on but nobody's home..."

When Tuesday is Monday

It's sooo hard to go back to work after a long weekend.  Especially since last week I only worked half-days due to the mind-altering (or just sedating- whatever) drugs I'm taking.  But early tomorrow it's back full force, whatever that means.  I actually have an off-site meeting at 9:30 and I will NOT be overachieving by going into the office before that.  Unless you call Starbucks "the office," which I sometimes do.  Anyway, I'm comforted by the fact the the Golden Globes are on tonight, as well as the premiere of "The Hills."  TV heaven...  And Jennifer Hudson just won.  I love her!

It was a pretty quiet weekend for us, since I'm still on the mend (which means I have to lay off the sauce again for a few weeks- bummer).  Saturday we actually went bowling (?!).  I'm not sure whose idea that was, but it turned out to be a good time.  Although, I will always say that regular bowling isn't nearly as much fun as martini-fueled bowling at Pin-Up Bowl.

Yesterday I got the grand idea to paint SF's guest bathroom.  I'd been wanting to do it for a while now.  It's the first step in de-bacheloring the bachelor pad.  Our deal was that I get that room to do whatever I want to, of course making it fabulous, and thus giving SF complete faith in my decorating skills and the green-light to go forward with the rest of the house.  And let me tell you- it does look fabulous.  The color is Eddie Bauer "Bungalow Blue" and I bunga-love it.  It's a dark kind of slate blue.  Next I'm having bright white crown molding & base boards put in.  Genius, if I do say so myself.  Now I just have to get those damn black leather couches in the basement and we will really be making progress!