The Sweet Smell of Summer

I've been on the hunt for a summer scent. After getting free samples from Sephora (Not just the tube samples, but the actual atomizer sample) of these two fragrances, I decided on Flora by  Gucci.  Having a fragrance with my last name in it is too kitschy to pass up! And because I might ask C-Flo really nicely if she'll get me the Clean Summer while I'm home next week!

Sidenote: Ivy, you would LOVE Clean Summer.

Meet My Crew Monday: Meet Jessica

A late comer to the pool, Jessica arrived in stylish pool attire. I didn't know Kate Spade made bathing suits... A lake girl at heart, she was eagerly awaiting her first visit to the pool! Quickly she became a frequent walker of the diving board but was hesitant to actually make the jump. It was the strikingly tall lifeguard that give her just the nudge (or 2 handed push) she needed. Way to make up for lost time! After surveying the crowd she jumped both athletically and gracefully off the diving board. Not even a splash detected! Surely, she's done this before? She lingered just a moment before she confidently proceeded out of the pool with none other... than the lifeguard! What a striking pair.

Brown Bag Lunch Revisited

Just the other night, I was sitting around the living room with roommates, friends and moms and somehow my love for hot dogs and macaroni and cheese surfaced. Which led us to this question: What did your mom pack in your school lunches when you were little?

I remember what my mom used to pack....

Middle School. Every lunch period was the same. I would sit down with my friends at a portable table with attached plastic seats, trying to ignore the school cafeteria smell. I would get out my rumpled brown paper sack and wonder what in the world I would find today. More often that not, I would find this:

A Hot Dog (with ketchup) wrapped in foil

A Can of Pepsi

A bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. 

For some reason, I was so embarrassed by this lunch! Don't know if it was the fact that I actually liked hot dogs or that they were wrapped in foil! Why not a pizza lunchable like the other kids?? Come on mom, I just want to blend!

In hindsight, that was a ridiculously cool lunch!! Seriously? My mom packed Hot Dogs and Pepsi?? What more could a squirty little 6th grader with frizzy curly hair want??

*This sounding familiar? Right. It's because I took it from the old blog. I'm in the process of meshing the two. Bare with me.  

Attn: Rico and C-Flo

Come visit me and I'll take you here!

It's a little Belgium bistro in the neighborhood with the craziest selection of mussels and beer.

Went there with the roommates last night. Loved it. 

Sasha Fierce

Last night I saw Beyonce at Madison Square Garden with a dear (and pregnant) friend.  It was unreal. She was an amazing entertainer. Stunningly beautiful. Pulled off a gold sequenced leotard like no one I've ever seen.  We had a ball. There was people watching that only Beyonce could bring out. And everything was gold sparkly.  Which I, of course, loved. 

Now - I'm not about to break out a gold metallic leotard, but I would love to break out a few of these gold and shiny things!

From Top left to bottom right: 1. Festival Pillow, Anthropologie 2. Gold Gathering Cuff, Anthropologie 3. Prada Saffiano Wallet, Neimans 4. Sunflower Mirror, Target 5. Garden Gild Lamp, Anthropologie 6. Round Gold Mirror, Target 7. Watch, Swatch 8. Kate Spade

Meet My Crew Monday: Meet Lil' Kim

KIMBERLY, AKA Lil' Kim: Kimberly is often found running on the slick pavement around the perimeter of the pool. She'll stop occasionally for a Corona Light and some fried okra but this girl will do cartwheels off the diving board until she is blue in the face. Kim is happy to frolic in the pool, but is more entertained playing practical jokes on old ladies sunbathing in their lounge chairs. Despite her high activity level around the pool, she often dips her feet in the water to cool down. Kim is just waiting for someone who can make a bigger splash than hers. Can't wait to see who's up for the challenge!

*A note from the pool monitor: Kim is now making her way over to the stairs in the shallow end (ahem.... Tuscaloosa) to take a breather. I believe this is just the cue Kim's crazy pool partner needs to approach his one.

Meet my Crew

A good weekend is one that lingers past the perimeter of Sunday. Like the 13auburnfriends (minus one) reunion weekend in Mobile. It took days for the "I  miss the bay. I miss my friends" emails to die down. We can be so dramatic. Ha. 

Since then I've been thinking about my friends. All stitched together, we make a funny, sometimes hodgepodge, yet always cohesive group. I thought it best to introduce each one. The catch? I'm introducing them in the context of..... The Dating Pool.

Years ago, as my mom and I sat in the Philadelphia airport, waiting for our flight to New York, The Dating Pool was conceived.  I walked her through the framework and we tickledly* talked through each one of my friends and their role at The Dating Pool.

Think of it like this: In my mind, The Dating Pool is an actual swimming pool lined with lounge chairs and diving boards, swimmers, sun bathers, tricksters, bikinis, swim trunks and a variety of pool toys. 

Things to note: 

-Boyfriends and husbands will be found in the form of lifeguards, fellow swimmers and pool toys. 

-Every week I'll introduce another pool goer and their history, style and current status at the pool

-The Goal of the single gal: To get into the dating pool

-The Goal of the dating/married gal: To climb on out of the dating pool

 

So tomorrow, will be Meet My Crew Monday. 

Can't wait to introduce the first one!

*Tick-le-dly: To be tickled, to find something funny, giggly (Yes, I do believe I made this word up)

Rain Delay

It has been raining so much in New York. And when you walk everywhere, it gets to be a little much. I'm tired of the weather throwing kinks into my day and my hair! 

Anyways. When I first moved to New York, I didn't own any "weather proof" shoes. And of course when rainy June hit, there were no rain boots to be found. 2 years in, I now own 2 pairs, thank you very much.  In the spirit of preparedness, take a look at these cute rain shoes here and here.  

Dwell at Target

Saw these darling sets of kitchen textiles at Target the other day. From the Dwell line. Just $9.99. Love the black, white and pea soup combo. 

I also spied a Dwell royal blue and white Ikat Bed in a Bag. With a little tweaking, the Flora girl's have learned to love Bed in a Bags. 

Craftastic: Deuces

While on the craft kick, I decided to touch up my half bath with some of the extra paper sprawled across my bed. Still deciding if its too busy for my liking... I do still love my funny little bird plates I got on sale from PB. 

BEFORE

AFTER

Craftastic

Had this past Friday off. Oh my. It was wonderful. My plans for the day? Waking up. Getting a massive coffee and hittin' the train. (Why doesn't that sound the same as Hittin' the Road?) 

The North Bound 1 Train took me to a place that I love. A place where I breathe a little easier.  A place that reminds me of home... 

Of course I'm talking about the Super Target in the Bronx. 

I spent hours quietly mingling down the isles of the Target. It was tremendously nice. Maybe it's the colorful variety at Target or even the signing of a new apartment lease.  But I'm suddenly in the mood to revamp.

Problem/Dissatisfied Area: Wall space above my bed

Materials: Scrapbooking paper, flat black spray paint, photographs (already matted and framed), a goofy fun clock

Method to the Madness:  See below...

 This started out as a gold framed mirror. Bla. I used flat black spray paint and some gold embellished scrap book paper to perk it up. 

 

I recently accumulated a few framed pieces of photography.  Love the photography that went into the above frame, but the birch wood Pottery Barn frame wasn't working. With a few coats of bright yellow enamel paint, I was headed in the right direction.

Sidenote: Its the same shade of glossy yellow that I painted this other mirror of mine. See above. 

Final look it well on its way. 

BEFORE

 (A lot going on, I realize)

AFTER

Gave the big mat and frame in the middle a face lift by replacing an unremarkable photo with quirky red and white patterned paper.

Have a new headboard (Can day beads really have headboards) canvas covered in Ikea fabric.

One of my favorite things: Fabric stretched and stapled onto a frame, canvas, piece of wood...

And I didn't stop here. More revamping to come!

Aunt Mona's Family Recipe Strawberry Cake

I made a cake last night. Wait. Thats not right. I made the best cake of my life last night.

I jumped in a recipe tree bandwagon in college and ended up getting this recipe from my friend Laura's Aunt. I think Laura was the only friend that actually participated. Thanks friends.

Here it is. The BEST strawberry cake with strawberry cream cheese icing. I kid you not. 

CAKE

1 Box of White Cake Mix (I used French Vanilla Cake Mix)

1 lb. Frozen Strawberries (thawed and well-drained)

1 Box of Strawberry Jello Gelatin Mix

1/4 Cup of Water

3/4 Cup Wesson oil

4 Eggs

Mix cake mix and jello mix together.

In a separate bowl mix together water, oil and eggs. After that's well mixed, add it to the dry ingredients. Fold in 1/2 the package of strawberries...Use mixer to blend.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes and let cool completely. (Always important)

ICING

1 (or 2) boxes of confectioners sugar

1 stick of butter

1/2 the bag of drained strawberries, or fresh

Cream Cheese Optional (Thats what is said on the recipe, but cream cheese is NEVER optional. It is VITAL!)

Just mix all of this together! I actually used a food processor for the strawberries and it worked great! Use the strawberries sparingly. It makes the icing really liquidy. 

And then frost your little heart out!

I wish I had taken pictures, but it just eaten so quickly by my ravenous co-workers that I didn't have time. 

Disclaimer: This is NOT a credit to my baking skills. The recipe is just that good!

Blue Shelled Crabs & Wind Blown Hair

Fairhope, Alabama. I'm thankful for this place.

This place reminds me of college. Precious Anne of Green Gables sort of friends from college. Road trips too many to count. Small and big towns.  Southern culture different from any Texas culture that I had experienced. 

Oh, the trees in this place. 

Favorite time of the day. This dock saw card games, bathing suit mishaps, guitar playing, margarita mixing and lots of chatter.

Blue shelled crabs. Messy. Delicious.

Are we in a movie?

Felt so good to have wind other than the gusts of dirty air from subway traffic blowing through my hair.  

What a blessing.

In L-O-V-E

I just got back from spending the weekend with my very best friends from college. 13 to be exact. Sounds like a ridiculous number of friends. What can you do? 

We spent the weekend in Fairhope, Alabama at the Outlaw bay house. Bold uninhibited personalities + constant supply of puppy chow and Diet Coke + perfect summer weather=

 13 very happy campers.

Here they are. 

        

More to come on our rosy little weekend at the bay....

I'm craving...

A massive chocolate chip cookie from Levain Bakery.
This treat of a place is nestled in a tiny basement at West 74th and Broadway. The cookies are a little pricey, but absolutely worth it.

Pick Me Up

I'm drained and frazzled. Work is sucking the life right out of me.
Ha. Well not exactly. I'm just feeling dramatic.

Revlon lipstick in Earthy seems like the perfect compliment to my spicy little mood.


A coworker just told me I look dissheveled. Is it the crazy lady bun on the top of my head or the Don't Ask ME Another Question look across my face that gave me away?