"Monday, you can hold your head..."

Actually, I can't hold my head. Without pain, that is. Somehow over the course of the last several days, the entire left side of my neck, shoulders, and upper back is so wracked with pain that simply holding my head straight up is a major battle. I survived a fun holiday outing with friends on Saturday night due to copious amounts of booze, but nearly fainted at the Container Store yesterday while buying wrapping paper. So I've been chillin' with an assortment of pain relief implements and painkillers ever since and dreaming about neck braces. Ready to move on from this, I'm not gonna lie.

Since this is already proving to be a long week - besides the whole neck problem, I have two huge work deadlines and will be saying goodbye to T for five days on Wednesday - let's backtrack and do a Friday I'm in Love post on Monday. I had this ready to go on its intended day, but what with an all-day conference, an emergency massage, and recovery from the massage (the pain! omg!) on Friday night, it never got posted. So here it is, folks, a little Friday for your Monday. I kind of wish my week was going to be like this one:

"Monday, you can hold your head
Tuesday, Wednesday stay in bed
Or Thursday - watch the walls instead
It's Friday, I'm in love"

Sofia Vergara

"My friend says that the other actresses look better than me on TV because they're skinny. And I'm like, 'Yeah, but I look better naked!'" (sourced here) Wait, you're not watching 'Modern Family?' Really? Yes, I know it comes on at the same time as 'Glee.' Yes, I know that makes no sense. No, that's not an excuse not to be watching. 'Modern Family' is brilliant and biting and tender and perfect. And Sofia, besides spouting off gems like this that would make me love her even if she wasn't amazing on the show, is, in fact, amazing. It takes a smart woman to play the Latina "coal digger" with as much fierceness as she does. And her son Manny is a man-child after my own heart. Sigh...

Rob Ryan Papercut Decals

I've been devouring Rob Ryan's blog and etsy shop as eye candy for ages now. I adore lasercut paper in general, but no one - no one - does it better than he does. And although I'd love to hang a $470 original in my home, that's not about to happen any time soon. However, these new Rob Ryan wall decals are a more affordable way to bring a little Rob Ryan paper magic to your walls - love that concept. On an even more affordable note, I'm also totally coveting Rob Ryan's book "This is for You" that I spotted at Anthropologie (pre-Container Store fainting spell) over the weekend.

Cold-weather Cocktails

Inspired by Craft's "Bad Apple" cocktail, T and I recently set out to fashion our own homestyle cocktail for cozy nights indoors. We started by making a batch of simple syrup that we infused with mulling spices (we made a few cups' worth and kept it in the fridge all week for easy cocktail-ing). Start by filling a lowball glass with ice, then fill about halfway with Maker's Mark. Add a dollop of apple cider and mix. Add a dollop of the mulling spices-infused simple syrup on top and garnish with orange peel if you have it. Enjoy!