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9.29.2016

this or that: mules.


this or that: mules.

gucci / steve madden


I've always loved a good loafer (even though I had an epic wipeout in elementary/middle school when the wooden heel of my beloved Ralph Lauren suede loafers made contact with the shiny wood floors of the fancy restaurant where my family was dining and my salad that I had so carefully crafted from the buffet line went everywhere as I lay helpless on my back).

I digress: despite one bad memory, I love loafers and the classic Gucci Horsebit is on my forever shoe list. I know that mules are all the rage right now, but, living in New England, I just can't justify spending an insane amount of money on a shoe that is impractical for a large chunk of the year. However, I could justify spending $90 on the Steve Madden loafers that I saw first on The Neotrad. They're a little pointier than I would like, but at that price point, you really can't complain. 

9.26.2016

weekend things.


When it comes to pumpkins, I like variety.

This weekend was the perfect start to fall--after temps in the high 70's last week, we finally cooled off into the low 60's and I loved busting out warmer clothes. Friday night I was so wiped from a crazy week at work that I had an early dinner of Chinese food with my parents and crashed early. On Saturday, my sister-in-law threw a surprise 30th birthday party for my brother--the weather was perfect, there was a band and great food and drinks (and he was pretty surprised, which was a huge plus). It was the perfect celebration and I loved seeing friends and family raising a glass to my little brother.

I slept in Sunday (I'm very fortunate to have a dog who appreciates sleep as much as I do), and then I grabbed a delicious brunch with my mom and sister. We stopped by LOFT because my sister and I both had LOFT cash from previous excursions, and I ended up buying two dresses and two shirts for under $100(!). I never really did a ton of shopping there before, but I'm loving all of the tunics and shift dresses they have right now (and you can't beat the price) After that, we stocked up on all things pumpkin-flavored at Trader Joe's and I bought additional real pumpkins for my house. I ended the weekend by making pumpkin bread (there's a theme here) and Ina's Butternut Squash Risotto and cozying up on the couch with some wine and The Affair. It was perfection.

9.21.2016

lately.

This is how I have felt for the past week and a half (and what I deal with every morning).
The past week has been nuts. I had a whirlwind trip to Houston (which was fine thanks to flying JetBlue, staying in an okay hotel and TSA PreCheck) but the quick turnaround and associated work stress has left me totally wiped. I think the (non-work related) highlight was stopping into Biscuit Home. I have followed Bailey's blog for years and I was psyched to get a chance to see the store in person. I seriously wanted one of everything and could have done legitimate monetary damage--it was seriously the best.

This weekend my family headed to upstate New York for my grandmother's burial service. It was so sad and so sweet--I think what was hardest for me was the finality of everything. I knew what the outcome would be when she had her most recent cancer diagnosis, but even her memorial service didn't really prepare me for saying goodbye (if that makes sense?). It became real that she's gone. 

Sunday night I made Smitten Kitchen's Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake and it is so good, I think it might be a Thanksgiving side dish contender. I will definitely be making it again and highly recommend.

And now I need to make it through the rest of the week--I'm hoping after Friday things will start to settle down work-wise...fingers crossed. I need my sleep (and sanity).

9.12.2016

weekend things.

Sunset view at dinner Friday night.

Best short rib tacos around.

I had a great weekend. Friday I went out to eat with my parents and we had the most perfect sunset to accompany our dinner--we were trying to soak up the last bit of summer (before everyone is relegated to the indoors for the next 6 months). On Saturday I went to run errands and stopped into LOFT--I seriously haven't bought clothes in forever and they were having 40% off so I snagged a few things, including this dress and this top  and I'm tempted to buy more--I'm all about tunics and shirt dresses. After my shopping extravaganza, I went to Red Raven for short rib tacos and wine, and I also started I Let You Go which I'm loving. Sunday I did a Pure Barre video and it totally kicked my butt--I need to get into a routine of doing videos since the actual classes are so far away from me. I finished off my Sunday with another dinner with my mom and dad--my mom made Gwyneth's scallops and they were so good. I went to bed stupid early because this week is going to be a doozy. It's a glamourous life.

9.09.2016

friday thoughts.


New Hampshire leaves from late September 2014.

Victoria just did a post called Thinking Out Loud where she compiled some random thoughts she's been having and I loved reading all of her responses...so here's mine:


Habit I’m trying to break:

I have been so, so bad about getting up when my alarm goes off to work out before work. If I don't work out first thing in the morning it doesn't happen and hitting snooze has been a major part of my life for the last year and a half. My metabolism just isn't what it used to be and I feel so much better when I exercise, so I'm really going to try to work on this (and having a running buddy definitely gets me out the door so I'm going to try to do more group runs).

Habit I’m trying to continue:

Ever since I bought Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water, I've become a pro at taking off my makeup/"washing" my face each night. I like this so much more than cleansing wipes--it makes my skin so soft and my face doesn't feel dry afterwards--and it does a good job of getting rid of mascara. I'm a total convert.

Best experience of the summer:

This one is kind of bittersweet, but I would say spending time with my family when my grandmother was sick. I went out to Western Massachusetts almost every weekend with my sister, and I loved the time I got to spend with her, my grandparents and my aunt and my mom...and I also loved the time I got to spend one on one with my dad--we had dinner together almost every night while my mom was away and it was great to have that time with him.

Getting me excited for fall:

Oh my God, I'm so excited for the cooler sleeping temps. My bedroom gets pretty hot from the sun during the day and coupled with my abnormally high body temp I get hot when I sleep. I love this time of year when I can have the windows open with a cool breeze and I'm not sweltering under the covers. 

Current thing I’m learning to love about myself:

Ahhhhhh, this is a tough one. Raincheck?

Current thing I do love about myself:

I love that I'm happy and content being alone. For a really long time, I felt like total crap for being in my 30's (now mid-thirties) and not being married with kids, when 99% percent of my friends from college and high school are in that place. It took some time, but I can honestly say I'm happy. I think I've learned a lot about myself over the past 10 years and while there have been some serious bumps in the road, I think my experiences have shaped who I am and I'm feeling rather pleased with my current situation.

Book(s) I really can’t wait to read:

This is a tough one, because I'm book obsessed and usually read the "hot" books as soon as they're released (nerd alert). Most nights I prefer going to bed at around 8 and reading for a couple of hours in lieu of watching T.V. (which makes me question why I'm paying so much for cable)...so, any suggestions for books you've loved as of late? Let me know!

Task I haven’t done yet that’s driving me crazy:

I have a closet in my dining room that's filled with various things and I really need to clean it out and organize it but I've been putting it off for too long. Every weekend I tell myself I'm going to tackle it (and it would seriously take a half hour) but I'm the laziest.

On the docket for this weekend:

Perhaps some closet cleaning and a run? Other than that, maybe picking up some mums for my front steps...no plan is sometimes the best plan.

9.06.2016

{long} weekend things.



I couldn't have asked for a better, more low-key weekend. It was the perfect kickoff to the {unofficial} start of fall.

Friday night was super uneventful--I ordered sushi and watched You've Got Mail for the umpteenth time and I went to bed relatively early because Saturday morning my niece came for the day. We went to see my parents, went to the playground for some vigorous swing/slide time, dined on macaroni and cheese and ended our afternoon with a little Curious George--it was so great to have that one-on-one time with her.

After fried clams and too much wine Saturday night, I went for a run with my mom early Sunday morning (couldn't have asked for better running weather) and then we went for lunch/ran errands. I then made a rather delicious chicken marsala for dinner and watched some U.S. Open. Monday was perfectly lazy--I did some stuff around the house and then watched The Intern with Bloody Mary's and painted my nails. I had dinner with my dad (my mom was working) and then used this face mask and had my favorite sleepy time tea (which might become my new Sunday ritual). 

This was the first weekend in what seems like forever that I had nothing planned and could lie low--and I know it was only one extra day away from work, but it was exactly what I needed. Here's to a short week!