Snoop Doggie Dog

This cracks me up. I mean really. My friend Misty sent this to me after she and I had a long conversation about the new Justin Timberlake/Scarlett Johansson video. The video is strange, and long, and I do not get it, but damn it is hot. Have you seen it? You can see it here hot video. Be forewarned, it is long and really strange.

Scarlett is just hot. I love her raspy voice, her aloof attitude and please do not get me started on her boobs. Now, I am not one who is a huge fan of Justin Timberlake. I mean he is OK, but whatever. However, I started really liking him after he was on Saturday Night Live last year. He had me at Omeletville. He is hilarious, and the boy has some charisma. My friend Christa LOVES him, so that too has made me pay a little more attention.
I think I may have a wee bit little juvenile crush on him.

That cartoon just cracks me up. Thanks Misty!

Bitch please.....have a great day.

Oscar Faves

I am really late on my report on my favorite Oscar looks and fashions--I mean that was so two nights ago. We have been busy here at Chez MonkeyPosh. All the days are starting to run together.

I honestly fell asleep before the Oscars were over, but I watched the ending the next morning on TIVO. Hooray for The Departed, and Hooray for Helen Mirren.


Nicole looked stunning in Balenciaga.. She was by far one of my favorite looks of the evening. Such a beautiful shade of red. I could do without the shoes, but I love the dress.
Penelope looked gorgeous in this Versace gown. I love everything about her look. The dress is amazing. Such a beautiful color on her skin. The hair and makeup looked great too.
I think my most favorite look of the night was fellow redhead, Isla Fisher. She looks amazing, and her date was by far the HOTTEST of the evening-shout out Sasha Baron Cohen!
Isla wore Monique Lhuillier and the green was so gorgeous on her. I love her big hair and her spray on tan and the whole thing. I love her. Stunning.
I know a lot of people did not like Jessica Biel's look in this Oscar de la Renta dress, but I happen to love it. It provided me with a little entertainment because it set off a joke with my husband. I love the color of the dress and the simple line with the simple punch of the black belt. I was excited about this dress and I said "Oh I love her Oscar de la Renta" to which my husband who was not really paying attention says "Oscar de la Hoya made her dress?".

To which I say "Oh yes, remember how Jessica Biel was spotted with Derek Jeter a few weeks ago"?

Husband: "Yes"

Me: "Well she left Derek for Oscar and he agreed to make her a dress for the Oscars. Isn't that precious...Oscar made her a dress for the Oscars?"

Husband: "REALLY? He sews dresses?"

Me: "Oh yes, he is going to be on Project Runway this season."

Husband: " Oh I knew it would only be a matter of time before quasi celebs tried to make a buck from Project Runway."

Me: " I know....it is such a shame."

I think I may have my husband interested in Project Runway this season. I think I may have him just as excited as I am. The more he believed my crazy story, the more I wanted to keep going. It was like a perfect improv skit that only I could enjoy.

Maybe Nick Verreos will make a guest appearance and my husband will think it is Oscar de la Hoya and I will not be found out to be the awful fibber I am at the expense of a few laughs. At any rate, at least I did get a few laughs.

The lesson we can all take from this is: My husband and all husbands should listen very close when their wives speak--then we can avoid situations like this.

Ahem.
I also thought Reese Witherspoon, and Kate Winslet looked great.

I did not like Kirsten Dunst. Not at all. I have no idea who she is wearing, and I do not even care. She just does not look put together in my opinion. Blah.

I have enjoyed reading everyone else's opinions on the fashion on all the other blogs.

Have a great day!

(photos from People.com)

79th Annual Academy Awards

I am all set for the Oscars. I have a glass of wine ready to go, my March issue of Vogue to read during the down times, and my oldest and most favorite Notre Dame sweatshirt on. The Notre Dame sweatshirt does not mean anything, but it is comfortable and it is snowing like crazy here, so I am just ready to sit here and be comfortable and warm and slothy and entertained.

I look most forward to the FASHION. Andre Leon Talley-Vogue Fashion Editor at large had some great insights into this year's Oscar fashions. I have only seen 3 of the movies up for best picture, as this year has been way too busy for me to induldge in many things that require sitting still for 2 hours- like a movie.

I have seen Babel, The Departed, and Little Miss Sunshine. Babel was OK, but it just could not keep my interest. Moral of Babel is: young boys should not have guns. Period. I am sure there is a deeper meaning in there somewhere but....YAWN.
On to The Departed. It was action packed and full of eye candy. Marky Mark, Leo, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin (come on he is funny/hot) etc. I loved the twist at the end and it kept my attention the whole time...so for that reason alone I will be rooting for The Departed.
Little Miss Sunshine was quirky and cute and I LOVE Steve Carrel and Greg Kinnear, plus the little girl was precious--so I do have a soft spot in my heart for Little Miss Sunshine. I am also totally skeeved by child beauty pageants. They are so creepy-however I do not think Little Miss Sunshine has the meat to win the Oscar. I could totally be wrong though.

Departed= Oscar. Please Scorsese, pull this one out.
Babel = Attention Deficit Disorder.
Little Miss Sunshine=Sweetness and fun and all the more reason to totally be creeped out by child beauty pageants.
Tonight= Fashion, Ellen DeGeneres, Cheap Wine, Vogue, and an old sweatshirt=perfection.

My fashion high hopes are set on Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, and Jennifer Hudson.

I also have my hopes set on Ryan Gosling to win the leading role Oscar. His movie , Half Nelson was awesome- at least what I was able to sit still long enough to watch.

I will post my fashion faves tomorrow.

Have a great evening and enjoy the Oscars!

(graphics from Oscar.org and Wikipedia.com)

Knee deep in the hoopla and lovely Spring shoes.

Ok-the world has done gone crazy.

I am knee deep in family drama, we are doing major house renovations, I have had some new opportunities that are keeping me busy, and upon returning from California last week I had an e-mail from someone using an e-mail address very close to mine telling me that they have been using my ISP address to post things on the internets. That is what they said, "internets". Obviously they are a genius. Naturally, I assume they are full of crap and I go on about my business. BUT upon further investigation it seems as though this could be true. I have been told that even though they may not use my exact ISP, it would be possible to get one that is very much like mine or to get a "revolving" one where some numbers change periodically. According to them, they have been doing this for a while. I get crazy e-mails and blog posts constantly so I have learned to ignore it, but this round of crazy is worth further investigation. I have way too much going on right now to worry about this. I need a vacation. I need to run away from all this mess. I am going to work on that. People never cease to amaze me.

I think I will talk about something that always calms me, soothes me and makes me happy
SHOES!
I have been busy making plans for a shoe party this Spring, so I have been looking at tons of cute new Spring styles. Here are some of my favorites so far.


This is the gorgeous Vince Camuto peep toe pump. I love the squarish toe and the cut out design. I think Vince Camuto might just be my new boyfriend this season. Well, him and Brian Atwood. Have you seen Brian Atwood? He is gorgeous! ( www.nordstromshoes.com )





Here is another display of Vince Camuto footwear hotness. This shoe reminds me of the 70's. Pam Grier and Studio 54. I love them. ( www.nordstromshoes.com )

This is the Sam Edelman Joyce Mule. I love how feminine these look-and I love the patent red leather. So cute and girly. Perfect for Spring. ( www.nordstromshoes.com)

This is the Bronx Rita Pump. I love the color and the big button closure. I purchased these last week, but the ones I have look distressed. The leather is not as uniform. They are cool. ( www.nordstromshoes.com )

This is the pretty and preppy Chloe Slingback Sandal. I love the way these look old school preppy. ( www.neimanmarcus.com )This is the Prada Fringe Thong. I love these shoes even though "fringe thong" sounds like stripper wear. My husband told me I am not allowed to carry Prada bags or wear Prada clothes because there are just too many fakes, and to him they look cheap. So-- I have not purchased anything Prada in a long time. BUT-I bet if I told him I was buying a Prada "fringe thong" he would have no problem at all.....I will just omit the part about it being a shoe. ( www.neimanmarcus.com )

These are the amazing Manolo Blahnik Patent d'Orsay pumps. These sing to me of all things summer and sexy. I love the lattice look of the leather and the hot pink of the shoes! These are for sure on my dream list for summer. ( www.neimanmarcus.com )

Do you have Spring fashion wishes?

Have a beautiful day!

The curse of the liver enzymes, and the love of Chanel

What a week! Damn. What a month!

It seems I have not had a free minute the whole month of February.

Last week upon returning from a nice, albeit stressful trip to California with my 92 year old Grandma, I had a really sore throat, that morphed into a full on sinus infection-ugh!.
On Thursday morning I took my 11 year old Dalmation, Forrest into the animal hospital for knee surgery. A while ago he must have torn his ACL. He started limping, we took him to the vet (our old vet) and they said it was his hips. They put him on an Advil type med for dogs and sent us on our way. Fast forward about 6 months later--turns out is was his knee the whole time. It is so frustrating that dogs cannot tell you where it hurts. All we knew is that he was not putting weight on his leg.
So I take him in Thurs. morning for the surgery. Two hours later, the Vet calls me to tell me that when they did his preliminary blood work prior to surgery his liver enzymes were sky high. One test they did (The ALT test) , the enzymes were supposed to read 1 to 100 and Forrest's were 838. Needless to say, until they did abdominal ultrasounds and other tests to rule out cancer I was freaking out. Thank God, they saw no tumors. Now we are just waiting to get results from other tests and blood draws. The Vet said with the winter being as cold as it has been here, they are using a salt on the roads made of calcium chloride that can be very poison to dogs. When the temperatures are not so cold, they use a sodium chloride (like table salt) which is not harmful to dogs. Forrest had not been in the front yard near the road or the driveway, however we track it in on our shoes so he could have injested it from the floor or even the garage--so pet owners in the Midwest--please be conscious of that.

On to happier things like friends and fragrance!


In the midst of my sick dog, my sinus infection,and my stressful travels- I did have a very bright spot in my weekend.
My friend Felish and her husband Phil sojourned to Chicago for a business/leisure trip. I met them at Barney's on Saturday and we shopped, ate lunch and shopped some more. They both looked great and were thoroughly enjoying the city of Chicago. The main attraction of the day was the new Chanel Exclusif fragrances. Oh we LOVED them. They lived up to every single expectation and anticipation.
We both fell in love with, and purchased Bel Respiro. Now that I have worn it for 3 days, I believe it smells a lot like IPF Melograno. That is a very good thing. We also fell in love with the Eau de Cologne, which is a very fresh citrus. I have a feeling it will be my next fragrance purchase next to the new Creed, which I am also in love with. I will post about it soon.
Bel Respiro is the namesake of Coco Chanel's home she purchased in 1920 in the Paris suburb of Garches. It was created by Jacques Polge and the notes are: Sun kissed grass, crushed leaves, and the aromas associated with the French Garrigue, carried by the breeze. Gorgeous!

This is Felish and me in front of Barneys. We were not trying to be goofy tourists, but the window said RED in big letters made out of Big Red Gum packages. Being redheads, we thought it was as good a photo as any to honor our maiden voyage together in Chicago.

Oh--another bright spot was that my friend (who shall remain nameless) hooked up with a very cool guy from a very cool rock band. He is hot and talented and very, very nice. I got to hear the whole story, and it is exciting!
My days of hooking up with hot guys from rock bands are over (well honestly, they never started) so I love to hear exciting stories of my friends and their exciting lives. With rock stars. And famous celebrity personal trainers. Who Ann Curry wants to date. It is painfully obvious Ann. You are fooling no one.

I would also like to wish the beautiful Baby Fi at THIS COOL BLOG a very wonderful and joyous FIRST BIRTHDAY! Fi is a cool baby with kick ass parents. Fi and me go way back--to the womb. Seriously.

Please keep Forrest and his liver enzymes in your thoughts.

Have a wonderful day!

Happy Valentine's Day

I am just back from an exhausting trip to Californial full of fun and family things. I have a sore throat, I am wiped out, and I am snowed in--yuck. I will stop complaining now because I also have a lot to be happy about this Valentine's Day.

I took this photo in New York City a few months ago. I kept waiting and waiting for a clear shot with no people in front of the sign, but then I decided that people are what make LOVE so grand, so I like the idea of people in it. The photo would have been empty without people in it. One of the goals I set for myself for 2007 is to make the people I love more of a priority. Not that I love the people in the photo--I'm just sayin'.

What will you be doing this Valentine's Day with the people you love? Whatever it is, I hope it is wonderful.

Have a lovely day!

Monkey-on the road

I will be traveling for the next few days to the great state of California.

I hope to get all sorts of fun photos, as this should be an interesting trip.

Beautiful weekend to all.

Lulu Guinness and a girl who loves her designs

I have always been a fan of Lulu Guinness. I was lucky enough to to meet her and spend some time with her on a fun trip I took not too long ago. I liked her even more once I met her. She is friendly and lovely and charming. She looks like a doll. She and my husband talked for 20 minutes about his camera. My husband loves anyone who is willing to talk electronics with him.

When I like someone, I buy their stuff. I am Irish--her last name is Guinness, I think there is an unwritten loyalty there. I have a lot of Lulu Guinness stuff. I told her I would showcase them on my blog. It has taken me a long time to do this, but finally I have had the time to post her lovely wares properly.

This is my Lulu White Scotty dog purse. I love this purse as I am partial to White Scotties (AKA WESTIES aka Finley)This is my Lulu Guinness Gene Tierny bag. When I first saw this bag, I thought it was Audrey Hepburn, but it is not. It is the beautiful British actress Gene Tierny.

This is my funky Lulu bag. I like it because it reminds me of the 70's. I dig the cool design.

Because I love and am inspired by The Bag Snob , and I consider myself to be somewhat of a bag snob myself, I thought I would model some of my Lulu Guinness scarves on some of my favorite handbags.

This is my Lulu White Scotty Dog scarf on the Hermes Birkin Bag.


This is a polka dot Lulu scarf on the Fendi Spy Bag.






This is the lavendar heart lock and key Lulu scarf on the Badgley Mischka Front Pocket Hobo bag.

I also have lots of Lulu perfume and umbrellas. I seem to be drawn to them. I enjoy the girlie, whimsical feel of her things. I love her stuff, and I just wanted her to know.

On another note I would like to send kudos and congrats to Ina at Aromascope and my friend Bridget from Odalisque (website coming soon HOORAY) for both being mentioned in the Chicago Tribune this Sunday! It was a lovely article on perfume, the love of certain perfumes and the crazy things we are willing to do to find our favorite scents.

Have a lovely day!

(photos from MonkeyPosh LLC)

Puppy Love And Go Bears

FINLEY

We recently had a new addition to our family. Meet Mr. Finley. Mr. Finley is a West Higland White Terrior (or shall I say TERROR?) puppy. He is very fun, always hungry, loves to bite and is full of piss and vinegar.

He loves to play, he loves T.V. , he loves his toys and he loves his Dalmation brother. His Dalmation brother, however loathes him and wishes we would take him back to Memphis from where he came.

Above is a photo of Forrest, his Dalmation brother muttering Latin obscenities under his breath , cursing the day Mr. Finley was born. Since Finley's arrival Forrest has taken to only speaking Latin out of rebellion. Dalmations are strange.
Finley's ancestors are from the highlands of Scotland. The name Finley translates to White Warrior in Gaelic- the native language (before English) of Scotland. Finley loves to stay true to his Scottish heritage, so he plays the bagpipes around the house. Just one of his many talents.

Finley loves to shop for coats. His favorite store is Marc Jacobs. Marc Jacobs uses big buttons. The big buttons give Finley a lot of chewing entertainment. What good is a coat if you cannot chew it to shreds?

This is Finley showing the MonkeyPosh love. That's how he rolls.

Since moving to the Chicago area, Finley has become quite the sports fan. This is him getting ready for the Superbowl. His Bears scarf is his favorite article of clothing at the moment. He gets lots of compliments. This town is on fire for the Bears, and even though I am not going crazy for them, it is exciting to be here when everyone is excited.

Finley and I will be watching the Superbowl, and I hope you will too. A few parting words from Finley:

Have a SUPER day!

Lorac Undercover Lover

Recently I was on a trip out of state, and I did not have my beloved Cle de Peau concealer with me. GASP-HORROR-DREAD.
I had left it at home and I fell into a world of panic. I had meetings to attend and I could not attend said meetings with no concealer-it would be wrong and it would be offensive. Redheads need concealer, or at least this redhead does. My hotel was nowhere near a Neiman Marcus or a Saks so I had no hope of getting another Cle de Peau concealer at such short notice--but because Jesus must love me, there was a SEPHORA near me. I hastily perused the concealers at Sephora, and in my hurried state, picked the Lorac Undercover Lover. I love Lorac. I knew Carol Shaw (founder and owner of Lorac cosmetics) would not let me down. Not to mention - that name "Undercover Lover" filled me with thoughts of Ursula Andress in a sexy James Bond Movie. My hope was high that this little tube of heaven could cover my dark undereye circles from plane travel. Plane travel circles are the worst.

I must say, I was delighted with the performance of Lorac Undercover Lover. It glided right over my eye cream, did not crease, blended beautifully and coverd like a dream.
For so long, I only had eyes (get it-eyes? this is a concealer post -get it?) for my beloved Cle de Peau concealer , but the Lorac helped me out in a pinch and saved the day. It is an awesome concealer.

It comes in 3 colors:

UL 1= light
UL2= light medium
UL3= medium dark

I use the UL2 and I am pretty fair. It works wonderful on me.

You can find Lorac Undercover Lover at www.Loraccosmetics.com or www.Sephora.com

Have a beautiful day!

(photo from Sephora.com)