i love...

i dream...

I came across this image somewhere online and it immediately transported me into thinking about summer. To me, this is the definition of the best holiday away from home. Note to Mister B, one day I want one of these. 

my first love.

All I pay my psychiatrist is the cost of feed and hay, and he'll listen to me any day.  -Author Unknown

The essential joy of being with horses is that it brings us in contact with the rare elements of grace, beauty, spirit, and fire.  -Sharon Ralls Lemon

A lovely horse is always an experience.... It is an emotional experience of the kind that is spoiled by words.  -Beryl Markham


To ride a horse is to ride the sky.  -Author Unknown

The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears.  -Arabian Proverb

No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.  -Winston Churchill

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.  -Winston Churchill


i heart | nacho

{A caballo}

This morning I came across this slow motion video by Matthew Donaldson here. I have a feeling I know what I am going to dream of tonight! Happy Friday :)

day dreaming.

one day... if i ever win the lotto, i will buy this camera.

{Hasselblad H4D}

image via b&h

love at first sight.

{halston 2010 . image via la feem.}

these halston dresses are so lovely and so beautiful i honestly have no words. how am i ever going to stop dreaming about at least one of them finding it's way into my suitcase next month?

hi dress. i love you.

i am crazy about this dress. thought i'd mention it in case anyone was wondering what to get me for my birthday ;)

{images via here.}

bench love.

{i am crazy about this bench. + those stripes.}

{don't you just love that yellow pillow?}

{and those worn armrests?}

{seriously, i could spend all day at the swanson vineyards sip shoppe.}

happy friday.

{the perfect easter nest . patina . st. helena}

hope you all have a happy easter.

xo,

nm

happy friday.

hope you have a lovely weekend.

{pure beauty.}

{perfection.}

{a glimpse.}

{oh how i wish i knew how to play.}

{hope you stay dry.}

oh how i love anthropologie...

{ruffles + converse = happy}

last fall and all through the winter i was in love with this jacket from jcrew...what i am saying? i am still in love with it! wish i could wear it to bed...but now that spring is here (and we had two whole days of sunshine), i found myself needing something just a bit lighter. or at least that is what i told myself when i walked up to the checkout stand at anthropologie the other day.

{curio collar jacket}

how could i resist with all that cuteness? those ruffles and rhinestones...it was just waiting for me to take it home.

i also fell in love with these pieces below. but somewhere between grabbing them off the rack and walking to the dressing room, images of my basement started to pop into my head. that darn little project, which is no longer little...the one that needs doors and door knobs and waterproofing and window casings and rugs and furniture...well, it most certainly put a stop to me even trying them on.

{rippling pond jacket.}

{lemon squares jacket + all seasons shirt dress}

{gleaming shoots blouse + blue book blouse}

{love this whole outfit.}

{lean lines tunic}

{images via anthropologie.com}

oh what a dream...

this catalog for equitours came in the mail yesterday + i can not stop dreaming. seriously, i think this may be my new goal to work towards...maybe not for 2010, but definitely for 2011.

{equitours • horseback vacations worldwide.}

{i can not decide where i would want to go first...morocco?}

{or botswana?}

equitours

po box 807

dubois, wyoming 82513

tel: 800.545.0019

meet: girdie girl.

if you have read my blog in the past, you most likely have seen a picture of my handsome boy pablo. + although he is featured here on a regular basis, i do not believe i have shared the full story of santos juan pablo (his official name)...+ how he came to live with me here in napa. i will say, our story is a love story + it does deserve to be told, but it will have to wait for another day because today i wanted to write about another perro de calle, a little girl named girdie.

{miss girdie girl}

miss girdie was found a few days ago outside of my parent's home in todos santos (baja). at this point we are pretty certain there is this big flashing sign, similar to the one in beetlejuice, pointing all stray dogs to my parent's home (this of course can not be confirmed, as it is is only visible to dogs). since we are certain this sign exists, i was far from surprised to hear that they had found + ultimately brought this little girl into their home. seriously, every time they go down to todos santos, they find another dog who is in desperate need of love. actually, more often than not these dogs just show up on their doorstep. a few years ago it was cowboy. oh, he was such a doll. + then there was rocky...i was obsessed with him (he was my first. such a long + sad story, which actually ties into pablo's story. so stay tuned). + then there was a very, very sick little puppy with one eye. + then there was indy, who we found on the beach. she now lives with my sister ash. + then there was another little puppy who was found under a tractor, a few yards from their house...+ of course there is pablo! seriously, the list goes on...

so here we are again, another year, another dog. girdie is in very bad shape. my dad said she is in one of the worst conditions he has seen yet...this poor girl was beyond starving, she was infested with fleas, she is missing patches of hair, she has been attacked by other animals, she was left for dead. my dad's description - "she is the ugliest thing i have ever seen." of course he said it with love...we all know a dog's beauty is in it's personality. but i think you get the point.

{happy girl.}

as we stand today, with the help of a local vet, they are working on getting her healthy. from these pictures you can see she still has a long way to go. they had some tests done to see if she has ehrlichia (a disease spread by ticks)...keeping fingers crossed they come back negative. once she gets better, they will need to find her a good home. i'll keep her progress updated on this site.

on a happy note, i spoke to my dad this morning + he was pleased to report that in just a few days she has developed quite the personality. another non-surprise, as with most all of the other mexican street dogs i have come across, once given a little food + a little love, they have blossomed into the sweetest, most hilarious little creatures to exist (ok, a bit dramatic i know, but we need to find her a home).

cheers! nm

last minute gift ideas {hint. hint.}

i am officially changing my middle name to - last minute. just in case you are too, here is a little (emphasis on little. otherwise it would be a novel) list of my favorite things (gifts i would be very happy to receive myself).

{riedel "o" wine glasses. i use them everyday. perfect gift for under $25}

{fresh sugar lip treatment with spf 15 • great stocking stuffer}

{fleurissimo. my favorite scent from creed}

i believe fleurissimo is also available at diva perfumes in st. helena.

{lush • dream cream. HEAVEN!}

actually everything from lush is heaven.

{addicted to these moleskine cashier notebooks}

{i want this lomography diana camera!}

or any of the diana lomo cameras.

what do you want? love to hear about new things!

shop/i heart: jcrew's downtown field jacket.

{images via jcrew.com}

i bought this jacket from jcrew a few months back and pretty much wear it every chance i get. if it was possible to love a jacket, i would say i love this one. so much so, months later when i see it on sale i do not care one bit that i paid full price (very big statement coming from a girl who usually pays $2 for a shirt at goodwill).

oh and of course it goes perfectly with my hunter wellies!

{image via jcrew.com}

i heart: my new dresser.

{i heart my new dresser.}

love, love, love this estate sale find. it's from the 1950's and in perfect condition.

{my old dresser. sadly missing a handle.}

i am pretty much convinced that nothing is made with the same quality these days. which makes me question why anyone buy something new?