Decor Inspiration: {Lovely White Walls}

{.. where to begin... first off, my sincere and deepest appreciation for your continued support despite my absence... the cause? this adorable cutie pie... as you may know I became a grandmother for the second time on August 22 and my daughter and her family are living with us until their new home is built... it appears to have really affected my daily routine, which I'm not complaining about at all, as I feel very privileged to be spending this time with my granddaughter, but it is the primary factor for not being able to blog as frequently as I have in the past... so, no promises for regular posting until mid-November, but I will TRY harder... in the meantime, please enjoy these images of spaces that I adore and that I believe really show off how dramatic and lovely a space can become with blank white walls as a jumping point... hoping you have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! xoxo}

* all images from here.




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Runway Inspiration: {Dolce and Gabbana Spring RTW 2012}

{...it appears everyone went wild for Dolce and Gabbana's collection, shown in Milan this weekend and brought directly to my iphone via instagram (there were some gorgeous shots which unfortunately I cannot share as I have not yet found a web interface application that is accepted in Canada), nevertheless, there is always style.com to bring us the latest and these detail pictures are terrific... don't you just love the large floral prints, gorgeous details for the back and short romper pant suits?... hope you had a wonderful weekend and wish you all the best for a terrific week head...xo}

* Dolce and Gabbana Spring RTW 2012 via Style.com

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Pope begins state visit to Germany

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Germany on Thursday on his first state visit to his homeland, where he is expected to be greeted by large protests and even larger crowds of Catholic faithful.

The Bavarian-born pontiff was met on a red carpet at Berlin's Tegel airport by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Christian Wulff at the start of his four-day visit.

Howitzers fired a ceremonial salute as the pope stepped off his plane, and Eurofighter jet escorts flew overhead.

Merkel introduced the pope to members of her Cabinet. He then greeted members of the German Catholic Church and children who stood waiting for him with small yellow-and-white Vatican flags and presented him with a bouquet of flowers.

Benedict blessed the children before moving on, accompanied by Merkel and President Wulff to his car.

A tiny group of about 20 protesters stood outside the airport, holding banners with slogans like "against anti-Semitism, sexism and homophobia" and "my body, my choice."

The pope was to speak later in parliament, which many lawmakers have vowed to boycott in protest over what they consider a violation of Germany's separation of church and state. Another 10,000 people are expected to demonstrate outside.

The Vatican's views on contraception, the role of women, homosexuality and its handling of the sexual abuse scandal that rocked Germany last year are seen by many in Germany as outdated and out-of-touch.

On the plane, the pope told reporters that he found demonstrations were acceptable as long as they remained civil.

They are "normal in a free society and in the secularized world," he said.

The pope plans meetings with leaders of Germany's Jewish and Muslim communities, three Masses, an ecumenical service with Lutheran church members and possibly meetings with victims abused by priests.

He told reporters on the plane that there needs to be an examination of why people have been leaving the church recently, and the part that the abuse scandals played in the phenomenon.

"I can understand that some people have been scandalized by the crimes that have been revealed in recent times," he said.

More than 250,000 people are registered to attend his Masses, including about 70,000 who plan to be at the open-air service Thursday night in Berlin's Olympic Stadium.

House disaster vote sets up showdown with Senate

The No. 2 Republican in the House said Wednesday the GOP-controlled House remains on track to pass $3.7 billion in disaster relief as part of a must-pass bill to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month, but first the party must overcome opposition from Democrats and some tea party Republicans.

Democratic leaders — including some who said last week they would back the stopgap measure — came out solidly against it Wednesday morning because it contains $1.5 billion in cuts from a government loan program to help car companies build more fuel-efficient vehicles. That money would pay for the most urgently needed portion of the disaster aid that's required to avoid a cutoff next week of Federal Emergency Management Agency relief to victims of Hurricane Irene, recent Texas wildfires and Tropical Storm Lee.

GOP leaders are also encountering opposition from tea party Republicans like Jeff Landry of Louisiana, who oppose the stopgap measure because it permits a higher spending rate than Republicans proposed this spring. The measure instead follows a hard-fought spending pact endorsed by GOP leaders and President Barack Obama.

Majority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., predicted Wednesday that the stopgap measure, commonly called a continuing resolution, or CR, will pass and head over to the Senate, where a battle with Democrats awaits.

"What you'll see today is a CR that will pass the House," Cantor said.

The fight with Senate Democrats involves how much disaster aid to provide and whether any of it should be paid for with offsetting spending cuts. FEMA has only a few days' worth of aid remaining in its disaster relief fund and an infusion of cash is needed by early next week. FEMA has already held up thousands of longer-term rebuilding projects like repairs to sewer systems, parks, roads and bridges, to conserve money to provide emergency relief to victims of recent disasters.

The House measure contains $1 billion in immediate aid for the 2011 budget year that's about to end and another $2.7 billion for the 2012 budget year beginning next month. The Senate measure totals $6.9 billion, with $804 million proposed for the last few days of fiscal 2011.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said that once the stopgap measure passes the House, he'll move to substitute the Senate's more generous aid package for the House's version. It will take at least seven Republicans to join with majority Democrats to win the 60 votes likely required to defeat GOP blocking tactics. Ten Republicans voted with Reid last week to pass the stand-alone disaster aid measure, but their votes can't be taken for granted now. Tea party favorites like Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., were among those who voted with Reid last week, but the partially paid-for House version may be more to their liking.

In the House, Democrats are rallying against the measure because of accompanying cuts to an Energy Department program that subsidizes low-interest loans to help car companies and parts manufacturers retool factories to build vehicles that will meet new, tougher fuel economy standards. These lawmakers include House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland, and top Appropriations Committee Democrat Norm Dicks of Washington, both of whom had previously said he would support the measure.

Democrats say cutting the loan program could cost up to 10,000 jobs because there wouldn't be enough money for all pending applications.

"While the government has a responsibility to fund disaster response in places that were devastated by Hurricane Irene or other natural disasters, it is unconscionable to use funds designed to create jobs in manufacturing states to pay for it," Reps. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., said in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

They credited $3.5 billion of loan subsidies with supporting loans totaling $9.2 billion that created or saved 41,000 jobs in Tennessee, California, Indiana, Michigan, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio. Ford Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. have already received loans; Chrysler Group LLC is awaiting final approval of a loan.

A protracted showdown could ultimately lead to a partial shutdown of the government when the budget year ends Sept. 30. That's unlikely, however.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., predicted the conflict could be worked out in time for the Senate to make a Thursday night getaway to a weeklong recess. Such a scenario probably depends on Republicans prevailing.

"Congress always responds appropriately to disasters," McConnell said. "We're having a discussion about the appropriate way to do that, and I'm confident it will be resolved."

Reid, however, is spoiling for the battle. "We're not going to cave in on this," he said.

The underlying stopgap funding measure would finance the government through Nov. 18 to give lawmakers more time to try to reach agreement on the 12 unfinished spending bills needed to run government agencies on a day-to-day basis for the 2012 budget year that begins Oct. 1.

NATO airstrikes hit Gadhafi's hometown in Libya

NATO airstrikes pounded an area in Moammar Gadhafi's hometown Wednesday, fighters said, while revolutionary forces surrounding the city came under rocket fire.

Despite the continued fighting, Libya's new rulers said a new government would be formed within 10 days, as they struggle to assert control over the country and assert international legitimacy.

Mahmoud Jibril, the premier for the National Transitional Council, said most of the work has been done on forming a new Cabinet, but it was important to ensure national consensus on the issue. The NTC failed to agree on a list of ministers over the weekend, dashing hopes a new government would be in place before Jibril and NTC leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil left to represent Libya at the U.N. General Assembly.

Jibril said Tuesday in New York that he expects a new government to be formed "within a week, 10 days maximum from now," adding that the current political difficulties were not unusual for a "country which was absent from ... .any democratic culture."

He said "most of the work has been done" but one issue still to be decided was the number of ministries to be located in the capital. He said one option was to divide the ministries between the eastern and western parts of the country.

Gadhafi wielded near-total control over the North African nation for nearly 42 years before he was forced into hiding after months of civil war. The uprising — inspired by the successful ouster of autocratic leaders in Tunisia and Egypt — spread from the eastern city of Benghazi in mid-February.

Armed fighters still loyal to the fugitive leader have repelled anti-Gadhafi forces in Sirte, the mountain enclave of Bani Walid and the southern area of Sabha.

Government forces have made inroads against Gadhafi loyalists in Sabha, the gateway to a key road leading south to the border with Niger.

Abdel-Salam Sikayer, a spokesman for a local council in Sabha, said anti-Gadhafi forces largely have control over two neighborhoods and are fighting to overtake pockets of resistance.

He said 28 people, including three children, had been killed in fighting over the past two days — 18 on Tuesday and 10 on Monday.

President Barack Obama said Tuesday the NATO-led bombing campaign in Libya will continue as long as civilians are threatened. He urged Gadhafi loyalists to lay down their arms and join the new Libya, declaring, "the old regime is over."

NATO has launched over 8,750 strike sorties on Libya since late March. The latest strikes hit military targets belonging to Gadhafi loyalists in Sirte, according to a NATO statement released Wednesday. The Western military alliance also said it struck targets Tuesday some 175 miles (280 kilometers) south of Sirte in Weddan, where revolutionaries suspect military weapons to Gadhafi loyalists in Sirte may be coming from.

Revolutionary fighters tried to push into Sirte, 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast, over the weekend but were driven back by fierce rocket and gunfire. They pulled back to regroup, although the two sides exchange fire daily.

Akram Hameida, a 27-year-old fighter from the nearby city of Misrata, said he heard about 10 NATO airstrikes within about five to 10 minutes of each other on Wednesday afternoon. He said they appeared to be hitting close to the downtown area and airplanes roared overhead.

As he spoke, rockets fired by Gadhafi loyalists in the city rained down on a sandy rural area with scattered trees close to revolutionary force positions.

Shoe Inspiration: {Velvety Pumps}

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