Weekend Snaps and Bachelorette Recap: Week Eight

Photo via People.com

Before we even get started, can I just say how personally devastated I am for the end of TomKat? Because of my recent Katie sighting, I feel an extreme (and admittedly slightly stalker-ish) connection to the former Mrs. Cruise and I am just so sad about their split. Sure, he seems a little wacko and allegedly held a cattle call for his wifey to be, but c'mon, how cute were they circa 2006? And that little Suri is just super cute, although I'm pretty sure she would view any outfit of mine with a sigh of contempt. 

Anyway, Katie looks great in a navy blouse sans wedding ring in NYC this weekend, so that's good news...here's hoping she pulls a Reese Witherspoon and ends up better than ever after the divorce.

Photo via People.com

So, over the weekend, we had a lot of fun in beautiful Napa...

I'll post more about that later though, because....it's Bachelorette time!!!

I have to say, one of my favorite parts of the entire Bachelor process is the hometown visit. You just never know what you're in for. Southern dads cleaning guns, psychopathic models staging home weddings and now an impromptu backyard Polish celebration. I mean, how fun is that?

Bio photos via abc.com

I thought Chris's family was really cute, and welcoming. Who would have guessed he was a first-generation American with that super-pronounced Chicago accent. I liked his quote: "on a scale of one to ten we're pretty Polish." That makes me like him more, which I'm pretty sure was the point. Still, he was just so awkward with Emily. 

I think we figured out a big reason why Jef is still hanging in the final four. His family's Utah compound was beyond impressive. And, speaking of impressive, how awesome was he shooting clay pigeons? Despite the fact that Jef's parents were out of the country, he had a pressure cooker of a hometown visit with his siblings. They all seemed very cute and very Mormon. I seriously loved his letter to Emily and I have to say I like him more and more every episode.

Best quote of the night goes to Emily in Scottsdale: "Arie looks (pause) stupid hot." I'm going to start using that one. She's got it bad for him, y'all. I really think at this point nothing can derail the Arie train, not even a super Euro mother-in-law who talks about you in front of everyone in Dutch. That will be fun during the holidays.

And, Sean's hometown visit! How funny was Emily's face when Sean said he lived at home with a gaggle of stuffed animals? I love a good family prank, and that one was pretty amazing. His family just seemed absolutely delightful. And I am kind of obsessed with his niece's playhouse...it had a working chandelier!!!! Also loving the fact that his thing is running after Emily yelling her name. So romantic. Seriously.

So not much of a surprise that Chris was out at the end of the episode. He seemed shocked though, and slightly agitated at the end. Yikes!

Pretty excited for some beach Bachelorette-ing next week. What about you?

xo,

The Canary Diaries

Weekend Snaps

How was your weekend?

Mine included (from top to bottom): Pretty flowers from my friend Allison's bridal portraits, new dining room chairs we bought on Saturday, my husband's now super-organized closet and last (but certainly not least) the best little alarm clock in the world.

xo,

The Canary Diaries

Weekend Snaps

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Mine was spent in the Delta. If you don't know what that is (and I didn't prior to going) don't feel bad. It is a beautiful stretch of country that borders the Mississippi River Delta. A few highlights from our trip:

Dinner at Doe's Eat Place, which was an experience in and of itself. There are only three things on the menu: steak with fries, shrimp (boiled or fried) and hot tamales (a Delta specialty). Oh, also you can get a delicious vinegary side salad. It was just fantastic, such a fun experience!

Hot tamales

Hot tamales with saltines and ketchup (surprisingly tasty!)

Our steak

We stayed at the The Alluvian hotel in downtown Greenwood, Mississippi. Parts of The Help were filmed in Greenwood and it's full of beautiful old buildings. It's also home to the Viking Range Corporation and has a cooking school.

Our weekend motto, best expressed on this banner at Delta Bistro

View from the top of The Alluvian 

And of course the wedding itself was just beautiful in such a lovely setting.

Cotton fields just outside the rehearsal dinner venue

Entrance to the rehearsal dinner

The beautiful bride and happy groom

At the wedding reception

And yet, even after the trip some things about the Delta remain a mystery to me. For instance, there was no hand sanitizer at this convenience store today, but there were two kinds of boiled peanuts. Gotta love the South!

xo,

The Canary Diaries

Weekend Snaps

Hey there! How was your weekend? If these snaps are any indication, mine was random. We had a lot going on. Including...

uni shooters at dinner Friday,

a Mad Men-inspired party on Saturday (my homage to Jane Sterling, above),

an impromptu concert on Saturday night,

Mother's Day pancakes,

my new addiction (Sugar and Sugar Rose lip glosses from Sephora),

and awesome vases and flowers from Target for our Mother's Day dinner.

We also had such a fun time at an engagement party and a 1st birthday party. Now that I'm writing it all down I really don't know how we fit it all in. Whew!

I am beyond excited about The Bachelorette season starting tonight. Can I get an "Amen!" Emily is the cute cutiest and I actually know one of the bachelors! I know, awesome, right? He's a friend of one of my besties and an all-around sweetie pie. It will be interesting to watch him! I'll reveal which one he is on tomorrow's recap.

xo,

The Canary Diaries

Weekend Snaps

How was your weekend? We had a slow-paced couple of days that included fishing, beautiful sunsets and naps. We completely missed the Kentucky Derby, but how much do you love the name of the horse that won? And, did you catch a glimpse of the super moon Saturday night? We had too much cloud cover, but Friday's moon was pretty beautiful and bright, so I can only imagine.

Other than that...

Did you see this amazing photo of Alexa Chung and Lana del Rey? New besties! One can only guess they bonded over their shared awesomeness and their Mulberry bags.

Alexa bag

Del Rey bag

Much like the muses who inspired them, I can't decide which one is cooler. The Alexa bag is available at Mulberry, the Del Rey bag won't be available until A/W 2012, unless your first name is Lana or you've got the hookup in London, New York or Singapore.

And, now for some cuteness....

Have a wonderful week!

xo,

The Canary Diaries

Weekend Snaps

This weekend flashed by for me, how was yours? I just got back from a fun trip to Portland with my mom so some of my Weekend Snaps are from that trip. I'll post more about our Portland trip tomorrow! For now...

This is the Anthropologie store in downtown Portland. The coral window display is made from packing materials and other repurposed goods (paper plates, straws, plastic netting, candle wax). What an amazing eco-friendly display!

Above is a beautiful Mark Rothko piece at the Portland Art Museum. Mr. Rothko's first museum exhibition was at that museum in the 1930s. The exhibit was amazing, a real treat for Rothko enthusiasts as many pieces are from the personal collections of his two children.

My craft project, chevron flower arrangements. Still a work in progress, but getting there! I kind of want to paint everything chevron now.

In other news...

J. Simp baby watch is still happening. I really wish I could stop worrying about this, but I can't. When is this baby coming, people? The latest from People (.com) is that the bun remains in the oven. So I'll try to distract myself and stop being a complete weirdo.

And, how exciting is it that Giuliana and Bill are having a baby? I loved her sweet baby party photos, also on People. I just love her and their cute show on The Style Network. All kinds of cute.

Speaking of cute, how precious is Kate Middleton in Matthew Williamson? I'm a total sucker for a beaded neckline and sleeves, and this color on her is magical. Can you believe she and Wils have been married one year? It seems like yesterday I woke up at four to make scones for the occasion. 

I'm still on the hunt for a swimsuit. Just ordered the below suit, we'll see what happens. Hopefully I'll lose ten pounds and gain the knowledge of how to make a side bun like so...

 And, can this please be my kitchen? I saw it on Peppermint Bliss, and like Jessica Simpson's spawn, I cannot get it off my mind. So beautiful, light and airy!

That's all for now. Wishing you a wonderful week!

xo,

The Canary Diaries