Girls Weekend

If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair. ~Samuel Johnson

And that repair will consist of reminiscing, wine sipping, trashy magazine reading, quaint little boutique shopping, coffee drinking AND LAUGHING...all wrapped in a two-night girls getaway weekend!

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you are doing some repair. xo

Loving...

this new line called Chance

I'll take a chance on one of each, please.





I die for stripes...


and fish soap....



AND cute hats.

MY NEXT BEACH READ!

by Robert Rave! Now, come on..do I really have to wait for my pre-ordered copy from Amazon. I have a "girls weekend" coming up. I need my beach/pool/weekend away read now!

There's nothing better than having a weekend without to do lists. No phone calls, no emails, no sneaking peaks at the phone in between playing with the kids; just sand, sun and fun. And when Sunday rolls around and I am napping on the beach with my 2yr old, I start thinking about the week. I am happy to be exactly where I am, and yet I am happy thinking about the prospect of a productive week. One mode allows the other.

And now we are home, starting our weekly routine (with coffee and milk sippies, of course). The beach seems far away and to do lists begin. But it can all happen after those few days of freedom.


Here's to a new week!

View from my beach blanket...Sunday 11am

German Pancake!

Repost from 7.22 - One of my favorite easy smeasy recipes

I truly don't know how I ever lived without this recipe! I was flipping pages in a cookbook when I came across a recipe that had so few ingredients, and all that were in my cabinet, that it instantly caught my eye! I have not been known for my cooking, but ever since having children, I try, I really try to cook and bake from scratch when I can.

The problem with the original recipe that I saw, was that it called for something like a dozen eggs, which I didn't have. So, I went to the internet and found this great recipe.

It's my go to recipe when we want a baked item for breakfast. The best part is that you can serve it with anything...jam, powdered sugar, syrup, fresh fruit, anything. It's pretty much like the German version of the Crepe.

I add all spice or nutmeg to this recipe for a little added flavor.

Yummmmm!

Leather Love

Loving these leather gems by billykirk.

I am a sucker for leather cuffs! Especially the one on the right..love the snap closure.


How about the simplicity of this belt?

These would all be solid investments, imo!

Craving Green Tea ice cream on this warm summer night. In Tokyo, they sell mini cups of Haagen-Dazs Green Tea in vending machines on the streets. Oh, to have a ramen noodle lunch here , finish up with this delightful green treat, and a walk through the narrow streets. I may have to settle for a cup down the street at Kamehachi instead.

It's LOVELY

One for them and one for moi!

I LOVE when I find a signature go-to bakery treat to bring as a hostess gift to dinner parties, guest houses, and don't forget, to my own house for no special occasion. The macaroons at Lovely Bake Shop are the most amazing combination of sweet, crunchy and gooey. I don't even like macaroons but these have me hooked. The woman at the bakery counter said that her husband doesn't even like coconut, but he loves the macaroons here. We recently took a box to a dinner party and the hostess put them out along with dessert. They were devoured in seconds!

And the shop is so cute.
This would be a daily stop if it was only in my hood.

And sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the macaroons as we ate them all before I had the chance. Yum!

Wow!

Check out Gwyneth Paltrow's home tour on Apartment Therapy!

A Perfect Zen

We checked another place off of our summer-see list and took a stroll over to the Lincoln Park Alfred Caldwell Lilly Pool at the north end of the zoo. Wow...this place is amazingly beautiful. Waterfalls + wildflowers + spots to sit and dip your toes in the cool water = happiness. Even when you subtract chasing the kids around and making sure that they don't fall in the pond, it still equals little slice of summer heaven.

BB Dakota Goodie

Picked up this tee at Penelopes on way to check out. Of course it was BB Dakota. I am just drawn to this brand. Loving the zipper detail in the back.

Love at first sight

Apparently, I missed an amazing trunk show at our studio the other day, featuring jewelry by Stone Paper Scissors ( also known as hoovershank on esty). I wasn't lucky enough to attend but they are already planning a second show and you can be sure that I will be there.

I am making eyes with another version of this bold, yet feminine, necklace they have on their site.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/24321175/mumbo-jumbo

Until then, I will be coveting hers.

Stroller with a View!

The other day, I gave my camera to my son to keep him occupied in the stroller. When I downloaded photos that night, I was surprised by all the photos he took. It's nice to see things from his perspective.

Bouquets for mom

Does he know how much this melts my heart? Whenever the kids see Dutch Clover or Dandelions in the grass, they begin assembling a bouquet for mom.

Taste of Paris recipes from Apartment Therapy's the Kitchn

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-roundup/a-taste-of-paris-10-recipes-to-take-you-there-121443

Miles away...

Just recently, I have started reading the travel section in the Sunday Tribune again. I didn't realize that I had quit reading this section until a few months ago when I looked at it like a long forgotten friend. But for the past several years, the only traveling I've been doing is to the grocery store and back. And if I can do it alone, it feels like a vacation, a luxury.

But now that my babies are a preschooler and toddler, I find myself fantasizing about far away places, about exploring nooks and crannies of old neighborhoods and enjoying the tastes of new cuisine. Just simply getting lost in the love affair of traveling.

And for a few short moments, my coffee tastes like an italian espresso, my surface turns into a Parisian cafe table, my newspaper becomes my travel guide and I am miles away.

(I think I will dedicate Tuesday to posts about travel. Where I've been and where I dream about going. Until next Tuesday, let that wine, espresso, or travel section take you away...)

Now, if I could just get over my ridiculous fear of flying that I have seemed to develop since I've had children....

Summer Soiree

Our neighbors hosted a fabulous backyard (or back alley) party over the weekend in our courtyard. Beautiful pink, black and white lanterns hanging from the trees, chinese umbrellas hanging as chandeliers, white lights wrapped around the trees, and a Raspberry Mojito signature cocktail.




I had a difficult time capturing it all with my camera, but I tried.

B.B. Dakota

My obsession with B.B. Dakota began after I scored this amazing wool coat on the sale rack at http://grayboutique.com/ in 2007. I think it was something like $70.00 and the price per wear has been insane. I have made two really smart coat purchases.





The second: this Cynthia Steffe trench from a sample sale in NY in probably 2002. This trench just keeps on giving! I have my friend Suzanne to thank for making sure I pulled the trigger on this one.






Current B.B. Dakota pieces I am considering.




I really like this dress that The Bachelorette is wearing...but it is pretty much the ONLY thing that she has worn that I like. Bring back Jillian Harris' style palease!

B-A-N-A-N-A-S and blueberries

Banana Blueberry Smoothie!

Love dumping ingredients into a blender for a breakfast smoothie. Always a great treat and kids go BANANAS for them.

Ingredients in this one:

1 banana
Couple handfuls of blueberries
3-4 tablespoons of lowfat vanilla yogurt
Random amount of orange juice
Couple shakes of ground ginger