In the Mood for Summer

With spring collections debuting in stores, I’m craving some warm weather. (Not that it gets that cold here, although we did actually have a freeze last week and a dusting of snow.) What better way to get rid of the wintertime blahs than reading a wonderful book?

A book that has been on my “to read” list for a while is One Special Summer by Jacqueline and Lee Bouvier. It details a European tour the famous sisters embarked on in 1951. Written in longhand, the pages are filled with delightful sketches. It’s truly a work of art.

While we are on the subject of the Bouvier sisters, did you see the photos of Lee Radziwell’s abodes in Paris and New York that appear on the Brunch at Saks blog today? Absolutely scrumptious!

CSN Stores

Hello friends! Kate from CSN stores recently contacted me and asked if I’d like to review one of their products. Of course I said, “Yes!” The CSN family of stores sells everything from cookware to furniture to wall art and decor, so choosing an item to review will be fun!

Here are a couple of things that have caught my eye:

Billie Wall Art

 

Wouldn’t this be wonderful in a fun, modern nursery?

Thomas Paul Tote

You know how much I adore Thomas Paul's designs.



Le Creuset 7.25 Qt. Round French Oven








I also love Le Creuset, and was thrilled to see that CSN Stores offer a full selection.

Stay tuned for my review of a special CSN Stores product!

A Super Bowl Supper

With the Super Bowl just one week away, I’m sure you’re thinking about what to fix for your Super Bowl Party. I thought I would share this wonderful recipe for Turkey Chili made in the Crockpot, which is one of my Super Bowl Sunday favorites. (O.K., who are we kidding? This is one of my favorites any time!) And the best part? It’s supremely easy.

Crockpot Turkey Chili (I’ve always made this in a 6 to 6.5 qt. slow cooker.)

2 lbs. ground turkey (I use the 93% lean turkey.)
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1- 16oz. can of diced tomatoes
2- 14.5 oz cans of tomato sauce
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cans kidney beans
1 bay leaf

Brown the ground turkey, diced green peppers, and onion. (Season with some salt and pepper while browning.) Drain the fat. Add to the crock pot, along with the rest of the ingredients and stir. (Leave the Bay Leaf near the top so you can fish it out at the end.) Cook on low for 7 hours. Remove the Bay Leaf and serve!

(Note: I like to serve it with extra bowls of shredded cheese and diced onion for people to top their chili, but that’s a personal preference. )

Photo courtesy of McCormick

Enjoy!

Falling for Mad Men

I have a confession to make. I had never seen Mad Men until recently. Shocking, isn’t it? With my love of vintage fashion, you would have expected me to be drooling over the wonderful stylings of Betty Draper, Joan Holloway, Trudy Campbell and the rest of the gang for ages.

Of course, the moment I saw the first episode, I was hooked. Thanks to Netflix and Amazon, I’m now caught up through the end of Season 3 and impatiently awaiting the release of Season 4 on DVD on March 29. Until then, a girl can dream…



This last photo of Trudy is from Season 4...
and I can't wait to see what happens!



The Pantyhose Question

Do you still wear pantyhose on occasion, or do you feel that they’re outdated and no longer needed? I'm noticing that more and more really young women (read: under age 25) don’t seem to wear hose anymore. My rule has always been that hose aren't necessary in warm weather with a dress and sandals, but I always wear them if I’m wearing pumps.

Last weekend, I found myself face to face with this question when we took my oldest son to a preschool admissions open house and I ended up with a rather clingy situation due to my pantyhose. My outfit included a gray pencil skirt, a lavender cardigan, a domed black leather bag, some classic black pumps, and my standard-issue Hanes pantyhose. The skirt in question is J.Crew's double serge pencil skirt, which is a thick stretch-sateen and is unlined. Typically, I would have added a slip, but that doesn’t really work well with a fitted pencil skirt. With every step I took on my left foot my skirt clung to my hose and bunched up a little. Not enough to be indecent, but I’m sure it looked funny and it made me self-conscious. I considered taking off the hose, and even wondered if I should have worn them in the first place. (Let me add that I was more dressed up than 99% of the mothers we saw.)

So the question remains: Are pantyhose necessary? What do you think?

Preschool Open House by Julepsandjj featuring ann taylor shoes

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and if you’re anything like me you probably still need to find the perfect gift for your special someone. My friends at Waxing Poetic have come up with a wonderful Valentine’s Day Gift Guide to make the process a little easier. In addition, they are currently offering a free gift box for every $75 you spend (use the code CUPID at checkout). Waxing Poetic also has a Wishlist feature that allows you to earmark your favorite items. They are hosting a drawing and will randomly select one lucky valentine to receive their entire wishlist! Be sure to shop soon because the offers expire tomorrow (Friday, January 28, 2011).

Here are some of my favorite things from Waxing Poetic:

Gold Round Insignia Charm

 
 
 


 

Silhouette Portrait Charm



Round Charm Bracelet



Don't you think they have Old World appeal?

Long Time, No See

O.K., so I took a little unannounced leave of absence from writing this blog. Who am I kidding? It was a rather long leave of absence. Life simply got in the way for a while. Do you forgive me?

So much has happened over the last few months. I have been making some progress in decorating my house. And my twins turned one year old a few weeks ago! I want to share it all with you, my friends.

So without further adieu, here are some photos from my twins’ first party, which had a duck theme.

The party favors were sugar cookies in the shape of ducks. I used my mom’s favorite butter icing recipe, which is so very yummy, but it makes a thick icing that is very hard to smooth out. Midway through, I realized the error of my ways and regretted that I had not followed the cookie and icing tutorials on the Pink Martinis and Pearls Blog. (If you have not seen Pink Martini’s gorgeous creations, you really must head over there right now.) Next time, I will know better!