wise words

for whatever reason,
(i'm sure there is one. there always is.)

lately i've been running into lots of wonderful quotations by

elisabeth kubler-ross.

in reading about her, i have found what an incredible gift she was to us; she was a psychiatrist, author (on death and dying), & activist who received 20 honorary degrees in her lifetime, and created psychiatric models we still use to this day.

at her core, though, she truly just wanted to help people.

to navigate the unknown in regards to death, and to help those of us left in this world to work through our pain 

after a loved one passes on. 

she passed away in 2004, but

some of her quotes are really hitting home with me lately.

i've been feeling so grateful for finally being here in california as a whole family (my husband was living here for 5 months before we were able to join...it was tough!), and absolutely loving spending our days discovering the outdoor beauty that surrounds us. 

inevitably, though, this feeling of utter happiness and peace is often accompanied by a doubtful anxiety; "just when is the other shoe going to drop?"

i don't mean to sound sullen, its not my nature; having kids has just made me ever more aware of my own mortality, and helped me focus on living my best life every day while i'm here.  

so.

here's to pulling an oprah and "living our best lives". 

because they're the only ones we've got!

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within."

hope you have a beautiful day.

i'm taking the fam to meet up with some friends for foodtruck night in santa monica. last week was deliciously fun; i'll be sure to post pics! 

xo

(all photos via pinterest)

ladycrush: mfamb

if you've ever wandered over to her corner of the internet, learned the secret handshake and gotten the password to ride the bullet train to awesometown, you've been simultaneously floored by her insane design skills (evidenced by some sick moodboards, gorgeous projects for various clientele, craigslist finds like you've never seen before, and her personal home--trust me, its amazeballs, usa); her raucously hilarious, sharp sense of humor (they don't call her "the velvet buzzsaw" for nuthin'); and her keen eye for living a truly delicious life, everyday. 


oh, and did i mention her amazing recaps of shows like HGTV's design star (aka design turds) and the real housewives series?! 
you must read them. while wearing depends. or in the loo.

her signature--attainable, intentional glamour juxtaposed with 1st dibs-worthy, luxurious rarities--written in her true, unique voice (which means "fuck" is regularly in the rotation), combined with actual, inspirational work, equals not only a daily must-read blog, but also a wonderfully talented and genuinely beautiful woman behind it all. 

she is a crazy-popular design blogger (newell turner is a fan), a talented actress, mama to the beautiful fiona honey, wifey to supermike (who is quite awesome in his own right), craigslist whisperer, serious chef in the kitchen (i want sloppy joes in my mouth right now. please.), exercise fiend, and all-around badass...

she is also a dear friend.

(psssst....hi nicole!)

(what's that? 
did my street cred just go up like 100 points? 
thought so.)

darling reader, i give you...

jenny anderson of my favorite and my best.

ladycrush of the week, sisterwife for life!

molly: what is your earliest memory of designing a space?

jenny: that would have to be my "clubhouse" in my closet when i was around 9-ish. 

that motherfucker was cozy.

see? :)

when you first started your blog, what were your early mistakes/accomplishments? how did you find your groove and discover your voice?

i don't think i made any mistakes.  i mean i learned lessons, such as don't call people retarded on a public format unless you want retarded kids' moms emailing you in tears. 

i found my groove when i started writing fewer words.

people don't have time to read a lot of words these days.

(ohhhhhh... i get it. is this one of those lessons pour moi? because i know i have a tendency to be long-winded sometimes, but you know that's just me, i mean i get excited, and yes i probably do need an editor, but... oh. right.)

do you have any hard and fast "will always do" or "will never do" things on the blog?

see above.

what inspires you?

people funnier than me.

dammit man, that's a tough one. i think i may have been funnier than her once. maybe.

what's the coolest project you've ever worked on? 

TBA

what pisses you off most?

tardiness.

it's a giant fuck you to the universe.

i can attest to this truth. for someone who has a tendency to be 15 minutes late for everything, i learned early on in our friendship that homegirl don't play when it comes to the clock. and i get it! everyone's time is valuable, and jenny is always good at reminding me of this.

speaking of personal time, what are your favorite things to do with yours?

eating a falafel sandwich and s'mores cupcake from star provisions and watching a parks and recreation marathon in my jammies sounds like the most perfect day ever.  it should be rainy and cold too.


s'mores cupcakes!!! aaaand now tears of sadness bc i am so far away from them. and you. 

ok, moving on. what is your favorite movie/book/music?

far far too many favorite movies..but the one that popped into my head first was stealing beauty.

book- the lovely bones is still the most well written book i have ever read.

music- i listen to music based on my mood.  and i am usually in a bad mood, so anything that makes me cry.

helps me get it out.

fave food to eat? to cook?

i will eat donkey turds if they taste good.

i love to cook stews/soups..but never a fucking stoup!  

most embarrassing moment ever?

getting caught by my dad with my hands down my pants when i was about 15.

oh honey. at least your dad is awesome and has a sense of humor...plus he's a dude so surely he's been jerking his own chain since he was in the womb.

what's the best gift you've ever gotten?

my best friend threw me a surprise birthday party complete with fully decorated christmas tree.

(my birthday is in december)

in your opinion: worst design/fashion trend right now?

ugh. too many to name. subway signs? that heinous hipster all wood with your wood look. hate that. 

describe your dream vaycay.

eating my way through europe.


DUH. yes!!! lets do it.

how do you to attempt balance btw all of your "life roles"? 

i try to do the bare minimum at all times.

what's next for mfamb? (besides world domination, obviously...)

i am working on not being homeless.

goalsetting. i like it.

if you like it, too, go here for jenny.

thank you, darling j, for granting this little interview.
 i love you!

xo

rock n roll gatsby

perhaps you've heard... 

there was another "royal" wedding of sorts recently.

(via kimkardashian.com)

no, not that one.

this one:

(all photos below via vogue) 

i die for this.

saw jenny's recent mention of this wedding, which reminded me that i absolutely must share it with you!

last week when i was on vogue.com, i read hamish's gorgeous article on kate moss' wedding to guitarist of the kills, jamie hince. and then i found the below video.

Sharing from Vogue.com

i cannot look away from the screen; i have been watching it

on a loop for days now.

seriously. can you send a sandwich or something, please?

look.

how perfect is this entire affair?

(and what's with the teepees?)

the lightness of it all! 

the classic, thoughtful touches...

dear friend of the bride, mario testino, photographed her wedding portfolio...

gorgeous, hand-crafted wedding gown(S!)...

the crew of flowerchildren... 16 total.   

how perfect are they in their bonpoint dresses?! 

i'll tell you: perfect!!!

says kate, to vogue's hamish bowles: “I wanted it to be kind of dreamy and 1920s, when everything is soft-focus,” says Kate. “The Great Gatsby. The code name was GG for a while. That light and that kind of fun decadence. It’s rock-’n’-roll Great Gatsby!” There will be Edwardian marquees in her field and a circus tent for the children, with a miniature drum kit and their own DJ and tepees for them to sleep in. A stage is being built by hand, “which I’m going to keep for festivals for the future,” 

she explains.

(teepees!)

the flowers are perfection, the setting is beyond idyllic, the dress is absolutely to DIE for. 

this is the stuff dreams are made of.

john galliano called the creation of this gown his "creative rehab"; after being in actual rehab since march of this year for his crazy awful anti-semitic rants, it brought him back to life. 

(sidenote: why, so often, are creative geniuses absolutely mad?!)

kate had a total of three gowns for the event: the galliano, a sparkling stella mccartney georgette evening gown with steel beads, and a vintage 1930's wedding gown she previously wore for her bachelorette party. naturally.

during the speeches at the reception, when kate's father, peter, thanked galliano for "the beautiful dress", the crowd erupted into a standing ovation, and the designer got tears in his eyes.

magical!

the bar hemingway of the ritz paris set up a bar on the dancefloor and served the kate 76, an absolutely 

delicious-sounding cocktail of 

champers, vodka, crushed ice, and sugar.

must must must make this for our next dinner party.

check out but a few of the incredibly stylish attendees:

the uberchic mr. bowles, in his bespoke stubbs & wootton's!

marc, darling, won't you please quit it with the smoking?

ewww. and i thought you were all healthy and stuff?!

i'll take all three, thanks.

oh, and there was food. incredibly good food.

take the cake! 

i could swan-dive off of the roof into this thing.

then eat my way out.

mmmmm...cake crater.

i love how the cake table appears to have a glow underneath it. so lovely!

really, kate. i am super fun at weddings!

for more on this gorgeous affair, see this month's issue.

it has, in addition to giving me a new cocktail to "test" for "research purposes", inspired me to make today, at least, that much more special and memorable.

or at least take a shower. 

xo

feel the love?

right now i have a loved one going through an exceptionally tough time; we all occasionally do, no?

my mama calls them "FGO's"... 

or "f*cking growth opportunities". 

i don't know 'bout you, but i've been through my share, 

and whenever i'm lost in the woods, its my gorgeous 

family and friends who get me through.

and god, of course.

anyway, for you, my very special friend; 

you know who you are. 

and for any of you going through 

an FGO of your own...

hang in there.

know that you're in this season of your life for a reason, 

that you are strong as hell, and you will get through it, 

and you will be wiser for it. 

blah blah blah, i know. 

i've been there, too; i really don't mean to sound condescending. 

when you're over all the "supportive talk", 

sometimes its best to laugh. or even just smile. 

know this. more than anything else. 

 

there is still so much color in your life. 

look around, seek it out, soak it in. 

 i get butterflies thinking about your unique, specific gifts; 

no one else in the world is you. 

you are more special than you know.

laughter is crucial. 

always. 

until your very last breath. 

hold fast to courage, make the tough choices, and don't look back.

play your own song. 

even if you're the only one who likes it.

even if it sounds like me playing the recorder in fifth grade.

...and possibly makes the neighbor's ears bleed.

...and perhaps anyone within a five mile radius.

play on.

at first you might feel timid, but just GO for it.

its always better to regret things you've done, 

than things you haven't.

you are beautiful. no matter what sex, color, religion, size, shape, age, ability... you are beautiful.

especially if you look like this.

(he's all kinds of special, and he is owning it.)

its true. 

and that's a lot. 

a whole lot.

remember i love you. and i'm always, always here. 

even though i'm here

not there.

have a wonderful weekend.

sparkley, gropey hugs & glitter puppy kisses, 

xo