Monday, June 13, 2011

And when I cook him dinner and I burn it black...


...he better say "MMM, I like it like that". -Shania Twain

Oh dear Suzanne you've done it again, for the third time this week.

1. Piece of whole wheat toast for breakfast
2. Another piece of toast right after that. Yes, I did.
3. Gourmet cracker thin pizza with homemade sauce, goat cheese, prosciutto and fresh herbs. Burned it up!

Oh and last week when I was sneaking a smidge of chocolate chip cookie dough from the Kitchen Aid mixer bowl, I wondered why it was overly salty. I mean, I only added the half teaspoon the recipe called for. Then it dawned on me that the small container of white grainy stuff in our neatly organized containers was in fact salt, not sugar!

What makes this so sad is that my husband grew up in Europe. He can go into our refrigerator and whip something up like he might be the long lost son of Julia f'ing Child. I am constantly in awe of the way that man cuts produce. I won't even try to emulate it as I would risk losing an appendage. His mother gets up at 8 AM and beings cooking some elaborate dish and at 12 PM his brother comes over and the entire family enjoys a two hour mid-day feast.

I grew up in America the daughter of a German/Irish/Midwestern mother who while a great mom and an awesome baker could not cook a meal to save her life. Bland, bland bland! My memories are of the two of us baking Christmas goodies, not cooking meals and this is apparent in my marriage. My poor husband. Now I haven't screwed up all of my culinary ventures. I can grill scallops, place them on a bed of lambs lettuce crumble grilled prosciutto on top and drizzle it all with extra virgin olive oil. I've made inventive salads and a perfectly peppered beef tenderloin. My French macarons even turned out OK, but I need a recipe, a plan that tells me to add x amount of y and place in the oven for x amount of minutes. I can't be bothered with the constant checking of the oven to make sure everything looks OK because I am on the internet, reading a book, watching TV and listening to music all while I am making dinner :)

My failures in cooking cause me to feel defeated and angry at myself but my dear husband just lets it roll off his back saying "you will learn for next time". I hope I do but right now achieving the title of domestic goddess seems like pipe dream. "sigh"

Sunday, June 12, 2011

You Were Always On My Mind

Yeah, so its been like forever. The Spring was wet and pretty much non-existent, in this town we go from rain to 90 degree heat back to more rain again. We attempted to escape the depressing weather in April only to be met by more depressing weather in the middle of rural Spain! While it was amazing experience and "farm" is not exactly the way to describe a property where the guest houses have jacuzzis and the the guests don't have to bother with cooking or cleaning, I was ready to back in the city after about 3 days. The longer I'm alive the more I know I belong in a city. Here's to hoping that works out for us sometime soon.

I have a special treat that will be coming to my PMB in 5 to 8 business days. It has been a long time since I got a new one, I see so many and just get sick of them after a while. I figure out what bugs me and then it's over. But this little guy was always on my mind and I've been stalking it since the day it was unwrapped from its duster and put on the shelf. I think it's the combination of the intensely saturated color and brilliant function that made it one I couldn't live without. Oh and the price I was able to score it for didn't hurt either.


Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Cabin Fever





















I swear if I am snowed in on any more of my off days I am going to scream! Do you have season depression like I do? The snow and cold are OK for like a week.

Needless to say I am dreaming of an exotic beach locale, wearing a Marc Jacobs navy and white polka dot mini dress and sipping a refreshing cocktail. Spring and summer can't be here quick enough.

And since this blog's primary focus is supposed to be on the bags, here are a few to make you excited for warmer weather.

Burberry Ikat Tote, $595.00
Jimmy Choo rafia hobo, $995 (I saw a photo of Demi carrying this bag!)

LL Bean zip top Boat and Tote $30 with monograming (monograming is a must for this bag!)

Thursday, August 19, 2010

London Calling....


OBSESSED and want to try some of these products. Love the colors, the names and the web site. http://www.butterlondon.com/

I polish my own nails on a regular basis and have for years. In fact, I am usually (thought not at the present moment) pretty meticulous about them. Ladies (and men too), I hate to break it to you but there is nothing worse than nails that are not taken care of properly. It destroys your look.

When it comes to nail polish I typically stick to neutral classics for the hands (think Essie Ballet Slippers, OPI Bubble Bath, Essie Mademoiselle) but my current job allows me to feel as though I can experiment a bit so when a colleague turned me on to "Waking up in Vegas" from deborah lippman I decided to take a risk. I must admit the $13 price tag with my discount was a stretch, probably the most I ever spent for a bottle of polish but I am so glad I did. I have gotten oodles of compliments on the color and I know I will use this polish to the very last drop. The greyish color polish with lavender undertones is the color worn by Lady Gaga on the cover of Vanity Fair's famous September Style Issue. I so look forward to that issue as I love seeing who makes the Best Dressed List.



Inspiration


I am in denial that this wedding of mine is taking place in just 16 days! Most details are where I want, some aren't and won't be and I'm OK with that. It's going to be a great weekend but I am SO ready to just be married and get on with our life!

When I was thinking about the look and feel of the reception I wanted clean, timeless and elegant. I went back and forth on my wedding bouquet and was a bit sad to learn that two of my favorite flowers, ranunculus and peonies, are not in season during September and therefore I would have to make a different choice. I thought about orchids until I saw this photo. Leave it to Tom Ford. My choice has been made.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Just say no to Juicy!


I so badly want to intervene when I see a grown woman carrying or wearing items with JUICY plastered all over them. It is neither sexy nor sophisticated and where is this woman's mother to tell her "no"? Now, I'm not saying I am perfect, I am sure on certain days someone would find me a hot mess, but really, do you think that a rhinestone encrusted terry cloth bag is doing anything for you? I'm sorry to break the news to you but it isn't. I do not judge you for wearing those short shorts with words plastered on your derrière, I honestly want to help you! I too was once guilty. In 4th grade I had some sweet grey sweatpants I got at Velva Sheen with my name across the backside and an iron-on panda bear decal on the lower left pant leg . Yes, I have made fashion mistakes, I grew up in the 80s for heaven's sake!

In the meantime, another great read about style, elegance and reasons not to get plastic surgery (though a little Botox didn't really hurt anyone, well it did, but you get what I mean).


Friday, July 9, 2010