tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17998726170949534322011-04-22T00:18:56.495-04:00The musings and ideas of a character who loves to hear your opinion.Shaninoreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-62539430987633806202009-05-09T18:51:00.002-04:002009-05-09T18:55:04.112-04:00

Hello readers!I've launched a new version of the blog, which you can find at www.camillemaurice.com.  Head on over there and join me for conversation, foodie musings, and beautiful things!Much love,Shani

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-77069917232205948812009-05-08T08:21:00.003-04:002009-05-08T09:45:43.747-04:00

The Columbia Museum of ArtAfter plenty of confusion about whether or not Mr. M was going to be able to join me yesterday evening (new business + new client= mind boggling hours), he was able to break away and accompany me to a cocktail party.  I was so happy that he was able to carve a couple of hours out, even if we did have to take two cars.  Work on the new version of the blog, activities with

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-74927513252543789492009-05-06T08:41:00.005-04:002009-05-06T10:16:12.389-04:00

Image from aceshowbiz.comI don't know about y'all, but the last couple of weeks have been a bit  whirly around here.  The cultural and social season is nearing it's end in our town before the many spurts of exodus to the beach until August.  As a result everyone has been packing events and meetings into a pretty short time span, and I haven't been cooking much!However, I saw an actual preview (

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-38964230388730074072009-05-05T09:23:00.005-04:002009-05-05T14:17:51.993-04:00

I'm really not in a Cinco de Mayo mood today.  Early this morning I sat at my desk decked out in yoga pants and my favorite plum-colored wrap sweater, listening to the rain outside and Esperanza Spalding on Pandora.  I tried to write about something Cino de Mayo related, I really did.  A great recipe or drink or something.  All I could think about was a cup of tea. You see, for me was a perfect

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-22567096308003387912009-05-04T09:48:00.005-04:002009-05-04T10:53:32.454-04:00

Last night I was up (way too late) catching up on some reading when I cam across this article about Carlo Molino's garçonniere, or "playboy's lair" in Turin.  The interesting thing about this abode is that he had a room set aside that was to be the room in which he would die.  The idea behind the room was to have his death be like that of the Egyptian pharohs (though his plan didn't quite pan out

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-34429687946637951942009-05-01T09:41:00.005-04:002009-05-01T11:10:37.542-04:00

My view from the makeup chair yesterdayWomen are extremely complicated.  Our everyday lives are a complete enigma to our male counterparts, even if we wake up next to them everyday.  Yesterday, during the filming of the Pout and VanJean commercial for The Columbia Cool, someone called in to see if she could be squeezed in for a wax.  This prompted a brief discussion amongst us girls about how

Shaninoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-28919674956300471812009-04-30T09:06:00.003-04:002009-04-30T09:44:08.709-04:00

Last night at 11 I made my television debut on our local ABC station.  If you recall, last week I went in to Pout Columbia for a Sensual Hands treatment.  I have to say, my hands still look like a babe's.  And I've been really good about putting my Lippman Collection Rich Girl Hand Cream on when I get in the car (it has 25 SPF) so that the sun doesn't peel the skin off of my purty hands.  You can

Shaninoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-14292625200885286282009-04-28T09:50:00.003-04:002009-04-28T10:07:33.202-04:00

Honestly, this week has already been such a whirlwind that I'm at a loss for words.  That would be a first!  I'm hoping to have the new website ready to go by tomorrow, but our family calendar doesn't seem interested in  allowing that.  Have you ever had one of those weeks where your to do list seems attainable until you get to midnight on Monday and see that you've only been able to accomplish

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-47722760858423339512009-04-27T08:49:00.004-04:002009-04-27T10:06:02.357-04:00

*Image from www.enjoyfashion.comHappy Monday everyone!  I have a beef to share.  Yesterday I was on the sofa cocooned in a blanket most of the day with a sore throat, so I decided to catch up on my NPR on my iPhone.  There was an interview from last week on All Things Considered with Matt Tyrnauer, the director of Valentino: The Last Emperor.  I've been  dying to see the movie about my favorite

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-56711967495756201312009-04-24T09:42:00.004-04:002009-04-24T11:07:23.447-04:00

We decided to head down to Columbia's Artista Vista during the early evening yesterday with Jr. in tow.  The spring air hugged us like a comfortable cardigan as we walked up and down Gervais Street checking out the galleries.  I found lots of potential art gifts for Mother's Day my upcoming anniversary, and just because you love me.One of our stops was at If Art Gallery, which is owned by one of

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-60413576466101249172009-04-23T09:45:00.005-04:002009-04-23T10:26:10.860-04:00

April in South Carolina has finally decided to fall in line and behave, so I'm anxious to put Jr. into a jon-jon and spend the day outside in the yard.  I'm hoping to accomplish some weed pulling and patio beautifying before heading around the corner to knock on the door of some neighbors to invite by tonight.  Who knows, since Mr. M is working from home today maybe I'll slip out during nap time

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-16614638721238747282009-04-22T08:59:00.006-04:002009-04-22T13:42:02.105-04:00

Yesterday I had the chance to receive a Pout Sensual Hands treatment from skin care extraordinaire Shannon for a news piece for WOLO's Wrinkle Free Wednesdays.  I haven't been able to stop posturing my hands like a 1950s television model since I left the store.  While having my hands microdermabrasioned, electro-pulsed, and LED light therapied under the glare of a camera was a little bit daunting

Shaninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-55451991221700161692009-04-21T08:00:00.003-04:002009-04-21T08:37:07.211-04:00

I had the television on in the background a week or so ago when I noticed that whatever show it was had sisters-in-law on who look alike.  In this case the brothers happened to marry two unrelated girls, so it was a funny coincidence.  I don't remember the details because I think it was the Rachel Ray show, which I actually can't stand.  I find Rachel to be loud, obnoxious and pretty much

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-50169027918127489782009-04-19T14:32:00.003-04:002009-04-19T14:55:02.312-04:00

Oh gosh!  I've gotten Twitters and emails from some of you asking about last night's Soirèe du Soleil at the Columbia Museum of Art.  It was fantastic.  A huge hats off to Meagan Warren and the gala committee for putting together one of the best parties Columbia has seen in a long while.  We raised some serious cash for the museum and had close to 900 attendees.  Not to be indelicate, but 900

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-19241648058286871892009-04-17T19:43:00.007-04:002009-04-17T22:08:04.394-04:00

Today during gala setup a wonderful local artist did quick caricatures of some of us committee members that are now hanging in one of the party rooms.  She is on the gala committee with me and her daughter Meagan is the development manager for museum, and also the staff member in charge of the gala.  I love that she did the caricatures showing us at work.  A lot of people have been digging in

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-65386749932952199382009-04-16T12:23:00.005-04:002009-04-16T13:01:49.305-04:00

I need a trip to Provençe.  Like, now.  Unfortunately, it's not looking like my calendar will allow it at the moment, so instead I'll settle for some lavender and geraniums.  That's how I spent my morning at the Columbia Museum of Art setting up for the afore mentioned Soirèe du Soèil.  The smell of the lavender and the pop of the geraniums made me want to float off.  I'll be setting some up on

Shaninoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-91258322883540243322009-04-15T16:37:00.003-04:002009-04-15T18:11:02.705-04:00

Columbia folks, I hope you have your DVR's set for this Saturday.  There are two momentous events occurring that night.  The first is the HBO premiere of the long-awaited dramatization of "Grey Gardens."  In 1975, Albert and David Maysles made a documentary film about a complicated and isolated relationship between Big Edie and Little Edie Beale, the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis.

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-91164189865669620822009-04-14T16:51:00.007-04:002009-04-14T20:58:38.297-04:00

Do you know those weekends when nothing goes as planned, and it could generally be considered a disaster?  I had one of those, except I think I would consider it a success!To start off, my pink paradise patio plan inspired by Bloomacious.com and DIFFA kind of went phhhhhhhhfffffffttttt and died.  Being the anal retentive/ADD/organizational nightmare that I tend to be, I couldn't find anything

Shaninoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-9989521679903578772009-04-08T14:25:00.004-04:002009-04-08T15:26:54.408-04:00

Oh crap.  As you can see by the picture, I have a little garden problem.  Apparently the South Carolina climate forgot to look at the calendar last night and the temperature dropped down into the low 30s.  That's actually one of the better looking flowers.  This is NOT what I pictured when I started planning this weekend's get-together.  Mr. M is suggesting replanting tomorrow.  ***SIGH***I think

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-86564154104308591182009-04-07T09:32:00.004-04:002009-04-07T17:09:28.137-04:00

*Image from Bloomacious.comI'm so excited.  One of my best friends is coming into town in a few days from New England.  You know the friends who make you smile at the mere mention of their name?  That's J.  Lighthearted fun always ensues when she is around.The weather is looking like it will be great on Saturday, so I think we'll dress up the patio and I'll set Mr. M loose on the grill with a

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-30375100489001682502009-04-05T22:05:00.006-04:002009-04-06T00:11:39.821-04:00

Um.... I think I've finally become a wino.I love wine.  I'm not a complete wine snob like some people I know and love.  I don't go to a restaurant and spend fifteen minutes studying the wine list as if it were an instruction manual, then quiz the sommelier about the region, aroma, and palette of each wine.  I don't walk into my favorite wine store with a to do list, either.There is a Wine Styles

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-87490542646724166862009-04-03T14:44:00.005-04:002009-04-03T15:40:46.680-04:00

I consider my time spent with books to be dates.  I get so wrapped up in the book, learning everything about it, taking it all in... maybe I that's why I didn't date a ton in high school.  I think I just had an epiphany... I was the scary intense girl when on a date, wasn't I?  The one who stares at you too much?  Yeah, I think that was me.Have you been on a good book date lately?  Sometimes it's

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-89446704964625282182009-04-02T11:04:00.005-04:002009-04-02T12:04:31.915-04:00

Look at the picture to the left (excuse the Winnie the Pooh eggs, we're trying to make Jr. think that eggs are cool).  Now, I give you three guesses about the subject of this post and the first two don't count! I'm a bit strange about rainy days.  Until having a rambunctious little boy, rainy days were my absolute favorite, especially if I didn't have to leave the house.  Jr. has inherited this

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-78666639821183400562009-04-01T08:43:00.003-04:002009-04-01T09:03:58.538-04:00

*photo from virginmedia.comAccording to The New York Times, Green Day is collaborating with director Michael Mayer to put their album "American Idiot" into a stage production.  Mayer directed "Spring Awakening", which I was surprised to find was a collaboration with Duncan Sheik.  You never know what musicians are up to when you haven't heard from them in the last decade, huh?  Or maybe I did

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-44086456481416109762009-03-30T14:05:00.007-04:002009-03-30T15:58:52.102-04:00

There was so much to talk about in Charleston this weekend!  Hopefully you kept up with me on Twitter as I posted photos and observations from the finale night of Charleston Fashion Week.  Mr. M ended up tagging along with me to the Holy City, which made the trip extra nice, especially since we had to stay on the Ashley River instead of downtown this time around, which meant driving a car, which

Shaninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-81429107130423476502009-03-26T11:35:00.004-04:002009-03-26T12:57:22.406-04:00

Unexpectedly, I went down to Charleston yesterday to check out Charleston Fashion week a little earlier than planned.  It was a fantastic day.  I arrived at the Charleston Place, dashed off to a meeting, and then came back to the Charleston Grill to have a chat with my old buddy Teresa, who tends bar.  She suggested that I try the scallop ceviche, which was unlike anything I had ever tasted.  

Shaninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-46284447715123854712009-03-19T13:19:00.004-04:002009-03-19T14:08:45.352-04:00

I'm stuck inside on this gorgeous day with what I like to call "pollen sickness".  It's as bad as a cold, and I was so lucky to have Mr. M volunteer to watch Jr. this morning while I lay in bed and read while I sniffled.   Amongst my pile of books and magazines was the latest issue of Town & Country.  As I thumbed through it, I had to double check the cover after I came to a section about buying

Shaninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-82706863579681782332009-03-13T12:41:00.005-04:002009-03-13T13:53:28.986-04:00

If you're going to have a day when you are sleep deprived and allergy-ridden, this is the day to do it.  I had a really hard time sleeping last night.  No real reason why, I just think too much.  You know how that is.  You go to bed at a decent hour, exhausted from running around town all day.  You put on your favorite pjs, shimmy under the warm covers, and promptly start thinking about travel

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-11151062679718496852009-03-11T09:43:00.003-04:002009-03-11T10:35:10.792-04:00

With my political leanings being left to left-of-center, I've always considered the Wall Street Journal to be a cesspool of uptight propaganda.  To be perfectly honest, I don't quite remember when or how I formed this opinion, but yesterday when I discovered that Mr. M had subscribed to the dreaded publication, I was aghast.  "What the hell is that doing in my house?" I growled at him from across

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-14590540857345722122009-03-09T18:01:00.004-04:002009-03-09T18:06:44.288-04:00

I can't believe I posted about Cosmo's birthday party without posting a picture of the dear boy!  Look at my beautiful doggie... he is such a wonderful beast!

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-41546076508091716852009-03-08T14:23:00.004-04:002009-03-08T19:28:13.639-04:00

Today the birds are yakking at each other spritefully and there is a brilliant red cardinal sitting in an as yet unbudded tree in the yard that is begging to have it's photo taken. It's gorgeous out, and we have had every meal on the patio! This is the kind of day that puts me in the mood for ripe, juicy fruit.  When I was a teenager I started marinating strawberries.  I would  wash them, cut the

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-23546039135195066942009-03-07T13:12:00.007-05:002009-03-07T13:46:54.937-05:00

Both of our dogs are rescues.  Our prissy, high maintenance Pomeranian was literally rescued out of the street in the middle of rush hour traffic one day when I was driving home from work.  I found her owners the next day, who claimed that hadn't realized that she had gotten out of the apartment.  They said I could keep her if I wanted, and there was no way I was going to subject her to a

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-14389953198124336222009-03-04T13:56:00.005-05:002009-03-04T14:32:27.819-05:00

The other evening Mr. Maurice turned the channel to "Star Trek, the Next Generation" and we had a good laugh at how antiquated all of the equipment was.  Their little hip-computer-thingies looked like oversized Gameboys and the flat screen computer monitors were oh-so-thick.  Did the writers really think that we weren't yet on the fast track to smaller, faster equipment in the early '90s?There

Shaninoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-14580451193202866412009-02-26T08:20:00.004-05:002009-02-26T10:24:04.397-05:00

In my own imagination I am still the svelte 110-pound Energizer bunny that I was ten years ago.  The truth is, reality hit after having a child and entering my thirties... the dreaded metabolism slowdown has ensued.  My personal trainer and yoga teacher both have Job-like patience with me, but I had to do away with the nutritionist.  She was the strangest combination of crazy and boring, as if

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-24061372067979179122009-02-19T21:58:00.005-05:002009-02-19T22:42:02.405-05:00

Hostess gift? If you ever wonder what kind of hostess gift I would like, this little trinket below will do just fine...Okay, so it sold a little over a year ago according to artisticinterest.comBUT, I'll take this opportunity to share something with you.  Charleston, South Carolina is my favorite place on Earth.  Better than the Caribbean.  Better than Europe.  Better than New York, San Diego,

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-25711440586471702892009-02-17T08:23:00.006-05:002009-02-17T09:29:14.348-05:00

I've been Twittering.  It's fun and voyeuristic, and you really get to learn a lot about what ideas are pulsing through the world.  Because it is Fashion Week in New York, I started following New York Magazine's "The Cut", who tweeted about interviewing Marc Jacobs, who apparently said of his collection, "The collection is all about clubbing in the 80s, when New Yorkers could have fun, be

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-76147085803716596652009-02-14T16:37:00.007-05:002009-02-15T14:05:43.072-05:00

The New York Times posted a blurb in "Ideas" with the headline, "Food Is the New Sex".  I was intrigued, thinking of the way cooking and eating tickle the senses.  The way that the body reacts to the unending range of tastes, changing the rate at which we breathe, the posture in which we sit, sometimes making us salivate a little.Well, the article didn't go there.  It was pretty short and

Shaninoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-86320106753870251822009-02-14T10:00:00.005-05:002009-02-14T15:47:45.102-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!  If you are going out tonight, good luck.  Personally, I don't think there is anything very romantic about pushing against crowds of people to get a table at a restaurant, but on the other hand, we are in recession, so it may not be so much of a fistfight this year.  For those of us who are staying home with our loved ones, enjoy a bottle of Michael Sullman Reserve Cabernet

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-69148550874168745992009-02-13T12:28:00.007-05:002009-02-13T13:30:10.656-05:00

When I was little I had a crush on a Fiat Spider.  My tennis instructor was a gorgeous Italian glamazon who lived up the street from my family, and (to me, anyway), the most fascinating thing about her was that she drove around town in a hunter green Spider.  When September would roll around, she would show up in my driveway and announce that we were going school supply shopping.  On that day

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1799872617094953432.post-71092108625599177342009-02-12T19:54:00.002-05:002009-02-12T20:01:06.591-05:00

Good evening, blogworld!  Not much time to post, as I've got my munchkin tucked into bed and I must get ready for an outing since Mr. Maurice has so graciously agreed to stay home due to our lack of a babysitter.  For now, just read the "About Me" to the right, and sit tight for tomorrow morning's post.  I hope you like discussions, because that's what we'll be doing, and don't hold back!  Please

Shaninoreply@blogger.com0