Scents I would like to bottle...

• Fresh cut grass
• The flowery scent of a 1yr old baby girl
  
• Air right before it rains
• Mid-summer August - You know, the smell of heat, trees, grass, everything that reminds me of back to school time, jr high football and cheerleading practice, and that last glimpse of summer
  
• Newborn baby
• My beach bag

What would you bottle?

Billy Boy's Blueberry Barn

We went picking over the weekend. Always a fun treat for the kids to eat berries right off the bushes. One for the pail and two for the mouth.

We can't get enough of these sweet little berries. They are like mini blueberry pies.

My two year old was literally shoving them in by the handfuls.
























Mmmmm....the real pie.

Cardigan Shmardigan

Cardigan Smardigan, right? I don't even want to think about Fall yet, but the weather is cooling down a bit this week, kids are wearing backpacks, and, at some point, I will have to face the fact that summer is tapering.

Light cardigans are perfect for cool nights and these Matty M styles make it easy. I bought my first Matty M cardigan at Nordstrom last winter. Love the cut, adore the stripes and wear it all the time!



Bought this in grey in the Spring. Didn't even realize it was the same brand at first. It has a hidden zipper that allows the material do some cool draping..in fact, you can wear it several ways.


Both were under $100.

I don't know who Matty M is, but he's definitely my bestie.

Drinks well with others

A glass of wine and trashy summer tv go hand in hand! This summer has been a perfect opportunity for me to try some of the inexpensive wines offered at Trader Joe's. Green Fin white table wine was very enjoyable and drinkable and all for a whopping $3.99. And if it's just me and my tv, that's all I need. When I went to get more, they were out and said that it's been going out the door by the case.

Oh, did I mention it's made from organic grapes! Happy sipping.

Stroller Cam (lovebugs)

Captured on Canon Drive...
4yr old photographer













Aren't they cute...he had just leaned in for a little kiss right before this photo was taken!










Signature shoe shot!

Another Goodie...

Happiness! Found this on my doorstep last week. Just in time for my weekend at the beach. I think I got over 100 pages in last weekend and for me, these last few years, that is an achievement! My two year old even took a nap at the beach and I actually go to lounge and read! Read and lounge.

Chapter 9, my bed, and a glass of vino awaits tonight!

Goodie

I was in a boutique the other day and saw one of these Aunt Sadie's candles. It reminded me of an Aunt Sadie's beach scented candle that I had in my east village apt in nyc...about 8 years ago. The candle was pink with a black and white photograph of two women at the beach in their swimming costumes.

Funny how a scent can bring it all back....wouldn't it be dreamy if this scent could bring me back to a park bench in front of the fountain in Luxembourg Gardens.

Country roads...take me home!

What is it about summer that draws me to the country? Being a true hayseed at heart, summer is the smell of fresh cut grass, eating corn on the cob, and running free. I love when I can get a glimpse of the epitome of summer! Like when we came across this farm stand on the way to the Hesston Steam Engine Museum in Hesston, In. The sign simply read Veggies and that was all I needed to turn around in the next gravel driveway. There's no one at the stand...it's a weigh your own and put your money in the coffee can way of doing business. It's based on trust and that's a beautiful thing!

Destination: Procrastination

pro·cras·ti·nate

–verb (used without object)

1.

to defer action; delay: to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.

–verb (used with object)

2.

to put off till another day or time; defer; delay.

ya gotta regatta

Loving these regatta flag bracelets by Two's Company. Haven't found them on the internet yet, but I found them here!

Salud!

Nothing like a girls getaway weekend to rejuvenate the soul!
Here's to you girls and all the girlfriends out there.
xoxo

Day Trip: Red Arrow Highway, Michigan

A few weekends ago, we woke up to thunderstorms at the beach and decided to pack up for the day and get in the car and drive! Destination: St. Joseph, Michigan. Only about a 45 minute drive along Red Arrow Highway. The goodies you can find along this old strip that follows the southwestern Michigan lakeshore are delightful.


We started with a stop at The Whistle Stop! An adorable little gourmet coffee stop with a deli, bakery and yummy treats for the beach. Throw in some shelves with delux hand soaps, lotions, candles, and you have all perfect options to take to your lakehouse hostess. They even have their own Intelligentsia coffee blend. With coffees and chocolate croissants in hand, we were on our way.



Driving into downtown St. Jo, we are greeted by a new best friend on every corner. Part of the town's yearly public art display by different artists, Hot Diggity Dog, is the theme this year! Each dog is sponsored by a local business. We then ventured over to The Curious Kids Museum, followed by a ride on their brand new carousel.


The sun came out on our drive into Tabor Hill Vineyards...we needed to get in some extra driving to extend the nap for the sleepers in the backseat. A nice quiet drive through vineyards and farms. Beautiful....

A quick detour to Jenny's roadside stand. Eight varieties of zucchinis and cucumbers were a dollar! I love buying directly from the farmer. Jenny even gave me a salad recipe to incorporate the pickles we purchased.


Sawyer Garden Center is not what your would expect! It has EVERYTHING! From organic lip gloss to wine to patio furniture to jewelry to Crocs, to candles, to toys, to wonderful gourmet food samples...I could definitely get lost in this place for an afternoon...Sawyer Garden Center

And that's a pure Michigan day trip!

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.