comfy chic

Every time the season changes, I get so excited to pull out of storage all my favorite clothes and (when we can afford it) add a few new pieces. Though I'm pretty classic in my style, I've tried out some notable trends. Some good, some bad: I could post a "first day of school" photo in which I proudly sport zebra shorts and a t-shirt featuring a giant white Persian cat face complete with rhinestone-studded blue eyes (whaaaaaatttt? Yes, I am a child of the 80s).

All the experts say that the best way to move from year to year is to invest in some really strong pieces (my favorites are the LBD, blazers, white collared shirts, and trenches) and then pick up trendy pieces season by season (secret-weapon shops = Forever21 or one of our local shops like Bluetique or Calypso or Black Market - shop local, y'all!). 

Some of the things I've picked up recently:
1-Satin Self-Tie Dress
2-Oversized Round Havanas
3-Prepster Belt
4-Polka Dot Top
5-Pleated Skirt
6-Red Canvas Classics


These look to me like afternoons picnics, evening walks, backyard barbecues and music festivals...and that sounds like summer. 

lo lo locavore

We are trying to be more aware and responsible with the foods we eat. I've been a doubter of the organic movement and I've been on a budget, and both make it tough! But overall, I think it's worth a try to continue pushing toward more local, natural foods that are raised organically. Especially when I meet up with people like Stella's Les Miller and Aumaine Mott.  


I had a plan to start a garden this year (heirloom seeds! organic methods! raised bed in the backyard!), but I'm not sure with this early summer weather and my current workload that's going to happen. To be honest, it might be a miracle if we can just get rid of all the honeysuckle and poison ivy in the designated garden corner of our sad little yard. Folks, it is not looking good. But, hey, it's a dream and a goal and...someday? Maybe we'll call it a temporary fail.

In the mean time, I fall back on wonderful resources like those offered by established farmers who don't struggle with simple yard work, let alone gardening. It's a great way to move toward responsible - and healthy! - eating, in a more affordable way. Organics and whole foods can seem impossibly expensive and specialized at the big grocery stores, but we've found one of the best ways to jump in is to start close to home, wherever you are. 

Jacob and I used to, when we lived in North Africa and the Middle East as students, look for fun things to do on a budget and I'm not ashamed to say that going to the grocery was a weekly diversion for us. One of the things we got the biggest kick out of was choosing a new, exotic food every week and getting it home to try. Eating local there was a real adventure, let me tell you! Sometimes we had wonderful experiences (fresh figs, gorgeous citrus, halal meats, new cheeses) and others were not so hot (actually, I'll just leave that be).

Now that we're back home, though, we're eschewing the imports and have re-enrolled in Elmwood Stock Farm's CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), and I am literally counting down the days until our first share. Last year was so much fun (even when we got weeks and weeks of kohlrabi - I'm still trying to find recipes for that!). The couple we share our CSA with also has a great hook-up for local eggs, and once farmer's market opens up, we'll have access to lots of local goods like beef, bison, chicken, milk, cheese, and maybe even some herb plants so I check at least one box on the gardening goal sheet. 


If you're in Kentucky, you can visit this site for a list of CSA programs and farms. There is so much variety in offering and locations, so check out the farms in your area to see what they grow (do they do fruits and veggies, veggies and chicken, beef, eggs, etc.), whether they deliver, costs, frequency and term. Our farm offers, in addition to our delivered weekly share, a visit to the farm to see how everything is going. That visit day is always fun and educational and this year we get to go with our buds and their darling little girl, so I think it will be even better (not that we didn't have fun last year!). Can't wait!


PS-It's spring today! This is, of course, exciting news; but did anyone tell Kentucky? Our Commonwealth thinks it's summer! Enjoy these 80s, folks!

crazy about...

Cloches. Bell Jars. Call them what you like. They are everywhere lately and they are gorgeous and clean and throwback and French...in the good way. 


I've been wishing for one - to do what with, I'm not sure yet - because they're just so pretty without being too feminine (you married ladies know what a challenge it can be to hang on that balance, right?). 

I picked one up today at a favorite shop, House by JSD. These three boys are so cool and they have the best taste ever. I totally want them to be my friends. Not only do they feature fun, affordable, collectible pieces for your home from furniture to decor, they also do the most beautiful, tailored interior design. And they are single-handledly bringing burlap back. I swear I have never been so enamored of burlap. It figured prominently in my Christmas decorations this year. Did I mention they also do custom wreaths and Christmas decorations? Let's just say this was not helpful to our wintertime budget. More on that later.


But for today, oh, I'm so excited to figure out what to pair it with now that I have it home. My first inclination was one of our French reproduction absinthe saucers, also from House. We'll see, I have a feeling I'll be switching it around a bit, giving each room a little time to be cloche...

new favorite

I've always been pretty classic in my styling and nail polish is no exception. I own so many bottles of Bubble Bath by OPI that...well, I own so many bottles of Bubble Bath by OPI. If there was color, it used to be almost exclusively red (another OPI staple: Big Apple Red). Recently though, I've branched out into some pretty random colors (French Quarter For Your Thoughts, Linkin Park After Dark), possibly owing to the fact that, at age 30, I can finally paint my own nails and it's not a matter of mani/pedi every time I want a color change (I'll save the mani/pedis funds for afternoons with my girlfriends).

So when I ran into a girlfriend at church this weekend and spied her nails, I had to have that color! It's cute as a button...but really, it's Cute As A Button by Essie and I love it! Perfectly pink, almost a coral hue, but with some cool undertones that make it really versatile. I love it and I think I'll have to make it my go-to color for the season.


Another tip for making the color stick: OPI's Acrylic Base Coat. For those unfortunates like me who have thin nails or are very hard on the hands, it's miraculous!

a lost art

My grandmother was a (sweet) stickler about a few things, like wearing lipstick, properly set hair, haute fashion, polished fingernails, stockings and good manners - things that rank in terms of etiquette. Things that also made her always seem so elegant, stylish and refined.  Maybe one of the most lasting lessons I've taken from her is her dedication to correspondence. All through my childhood we wrote letters to one another even though we were only a short drive away, and have continued through the years as I've moved to more distant locations.

This made me similarly devoted to letters, and - help me - the stationary on which they are written. In fact, when Jacob and I married and planned our move abroad, my girlfriends (quite rightly) thought I'd probably use stationary more than serving plates and they threw me a shower just for cards and papers and envelopes and monograms and the most beautiful instruments for old fashioned communication. I still have a few left, but it's about time to re-up, so when One Kings Lane offered a special for Three Designing Women's personalized stamp and stationary, I couldn't resist...and mine came today! Yay!



It's the little things like this that make writing someone a note really fun - even if you don't love it the way I do. Everyone loves getting things in the mail, too, so it's a win-win! I think I'll write my grandmother a note today, for fun and for old times sake.


Three designing women offer self-inking stamps (like what we had personalized) as well as embossers (still want!) and they have lots of fun products (cards, bottle tags, stickers, gift tags & recipe cards) that are designed with perky colors and designs set to match the size of their stamps! What a great idea. 

spring inspiration

Today we returned to somewhat normal springtime weather and I popped out to enjoy the weather and run a few errands. Lucky me, this errand included a stop at one of my very favorite boutiques in Lexington, Mulberry + Lime. Not only do they have the most beautifully curated selection of everything, they also are staffed by the sweetest people who are always fun to see. 

Mulberry + Lime is in a gorgeous old house in a historic area of town, so every time I go in, I pretend a little bit that I live there, surrounded by a full set of my Match dishes, piles and piles of French jacquard table linens and a whole huge table full of Middle Kingdom vases. 

Since I can't have a whole table (for now), I settled on just one tiny pink vase - the perfect home for the one of the daffodils I snagged from the yard before the snow. 

lifesavers...

When I started writing this blog, I had in mind trying things that stretched me as well as noting the every day things that are really blessings worth appreciating. It wasn't particularly intended to be a receptacle for product endorsements. That said, did I mention my bathroom ceiling fell in? Oh, I did? Ok, well, I didn't mention that we only have one bathroom...and that Jacob thinks its not a great idea to shower in there until we can get the ceiling repaired and repainted.

Spray or dust, dry shampoo is a must!

So I'll be relying on the kindness of friends to bathe. In the mean time-because hats can't do it all-a product that has been a huge help during this crazy time and that is totally worth a try: dry shampoo.


Rockaholic is one I've used before, and it so easy to use with few slip-ups because it's a spray. Beware, though, it goes quickly. The skinnyskinny is a natural, organic option and smells less chemical. It's also a powder, so be careful. Rockaholic can be found at some drugstores and at various retailers, about $18. Skinnyskinny can be purchased on their web site (http://www.skinnyskinny.com/) and at Anthropologie, about $32.