Everyone seems to be jumping through some pretty big hoops to get to year-end: work, play, parties, travel, gifts, food, drink, kids, friends, kids friends, house, dishes, laundry, dogs, and this year even garden.

One gift to myself from the husband, we were together buying gifts for others at Chanel on Madison Ave, were these big hoops. Kind of fitting as it’s been a full-out sprint the last couple of weeks.

Trend alert for Spring 16: big hoops. Usually a diamond stud only woman, who really has the time to change the earring game up, decided to go big after being totally inspired by ultra-beautiful Elaine Irwin in the new Worth New York Spring 16 campaign. If I can’t get that face and body I’ll start with the earrings, and then perhaps the outfit.

Merry merry and happy happy. We’re almost there!

Every day dress, big hoops for Spring 16.

earrings | Chanel

Elaine Irwin for Worth New York

For two days and one unbelievable night we were all tucked in, our young adult children in their childhood beds.

Cooked up a storm and fed our souls.

Christmas Eve we covered the table in newspaper, drank way too much wine, not really, and had crab legs and lamb lollipops and salad. Cookies and more wine in the living room for dessert.

Christmas morning/afternoon it was champagne and bloodies, ham and eggs with a side of bacon, of course. Incredible home-made pancakes, thank you Ruth Reichl, roasted asparagus, and fresh berries.

Christmas dinner I did what was easy, beef tenderloin, roasted red potatoes and pan sautéed tomatoes, spinach salad with toasted pecans, pomegranate seeds, and crumbled blue cheese. Keeping the red and green going we did brussels sprouts and beets, finished with a little black cherry balsamic vinegar. Dessert was Monnie’s baklava, with real whipped cream and a small scoop of Peppermint Bark Gelato.

Clearly not sure what I’m more passionate about beyond the family, good clothes or good food?

We believe, and hope that you and yours are enjoying a magical holiday season.

Yes, after a month of sequins, taffeta, and high-heeled boots, I wore rips with bare-feet for two nights in a row, and even had my knees up at the table. Oh, what a ride.

Sending love out there. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight. Let the spirit carry us all through to the New Year. xoxo

 

 

When we had babies and Santa believers we started the day after Thanksgiving and baked zillions and trillions of cookies. Now we fit it in when we can and we’re down to three types only: cutouts, (white frosting only), thumbprints, and Mexican wedding cakes.

Cookie daze is when you have last night’s leftover shrimp cocktail for breakfast with your coffee while thinking about topping it off with the leftover Chardonnay because you just can’t fathom cleaning one more copper pot if you scramble yourself an egg.

We’re getting down to the wire. We’ve been wearing black sequin pants with a navy scarf halter because it’s easy. We’ve wrapped and shipped gifts to the sister and kids in San Francisco that we just won’t see this year. We’re doing cards on the plane and in the hotel lobby and doing our shopping in NYC before we head home late tonight with oldest daughter in tow.

Our babies are now young adults and teenagers and always absolute Santa believers, love.

Cookie daze my friends, let’s all enjoy the process. It’s full-time production right about now, know we’ll all get there. xoxo

Strung 400 more lights outside, between everything else we all have to do. Napkin is a little askew, we we’re enjoying a little wine. Grilled cheese and bacon sandwich, oh so fine.

In a season of running around we’ve eaten in: good basic food. Husband and I walked the city streets of Buffalo Saturday night searching out a table for two, me in my over the knee boots, decided there was really no room in the inn. Walked home, cooked up some bacon and grilled cheese sandwiches, simple spinach salad, lit a few candles and had dinner in the dining room.

Beef stew with egg noodles ended the weekend, good basic food.

Tonight it’s roast chicken, this time with turnips and carrots, trying to keep up with it all. Didn’t even tie the legs with chicken string. Oh, and the cards came today (double eye-roll emoji). xoxo

all pics iPhone | right about now we’re not sure where the car keys are

The party continues in the closet, clothes are strewn all over. Second tree is lit, decorated, and wearing a skirt, still missing the topper. Christmas cards have yet to arrive from the stationer, we’ve done this so many times we must really like that kind of last-minute push.

Wanted to stay home all day, work on the laptop and clean house yet husband hi-jacked me Friday for Christmas shopping and Saturday for hauling and stacking firewood, no joke.

The clothes we wear are multi-purpose. Who cares if the lace top is maybe a little scandalous, it’s topped with a cashmere blazer and a crocodile belt in the mix. Denim is almost a daily must with the run-around and wood stacking.

End of year is an endurance test, we’re making progress.

Wear good clothes and every day dress. xoxo

Love that the kids can now come by and cook dinner. Happy Monday.

Tee Jacket Belt | Worth New York FW15

We’re led to believe it’s a perfectly orchestrated and decorated party all month-long, and surely it can be.

We like to talk about the every day here; so after travel and work and kids and dogs and loving husband and house(s), not in any particular order, I’m declaring a party in my closet.

Also sharing with you our undressed tree, she stands in the corner without even a skirt. 🙂 We’re working on all the above.

Dear Santa, I can’t really explain…

Stay tuned for more polish, simply wanted to check in. Love to all.

We’re staying put for Christmas this year, and it’s going to be slow and easy. Not that anything is ever really slow and easy, simply a mind-frame to try to hold onto.

Life keeps coming at you, holidays or not. House had a phone call this morning that took my breath away and had to pause, and then catch it again.

We’ve got one pre-lit tree up and ready, that became part of the rotation years ago when we started making our annual trip to northern CA. Leaving town preempted the real tree. Yesterday we picked up a fresh-cut too, she stands solo while waiting for her lights. This year, instead of nine of us flying out we’re flying just one of us in, oldest daughter that lives in works and NYC.

Photos shown are from the weekend, slow cod and asparagus, ready to be put away for breakfast or lunch the next day, easy winter greens and a simple yet festive front door look. We’ll be adding to it all as the days go on.

Everything here is do it yourself, no household staff, and supplies are picked up here and there while doing the runaround.

Happy Monday everyone. Every day dress, slow and easy. Gotta believe.

So you talk to your kid (or two) about pitching in and helping with the social media thing and whoa, not surprisingly, they have lives of their own. Then you’re stuck, with stuff out there that’s not really what you’re thinking, and you really don’t know how to change it back and it scares you and think about how many internet hours you need to make it look like something you relate too, and then you just can’t think about it and decide to ignore it yet it really never goes away…

Hello kid (or two) love you to the moon and back and all around the glob-o-sphere yet you’ve left me in the lurch. There’s an ‘about‘ page and a ‘contact‘ page with no content at all and we’re really not ‘liking‘ it. Fired? Or not really into it which we completely get, just let us know for real.

We can make this happen, fired or not, for fired is a word that might arouse the emotions of; make enthusiastic or ardent, and that might just have to be me here. 🙁 It’s hard to engage those that might not be engaged and that’s okay, it’s always about timing.

Dear subscribers, and there’s 137 of you out there, thank you. On long walks with the dogs for sure thinking about where we are and where we might be going.

Every day dress, need to fix that header photo, yikes, and fix a bunch of other stuff, keep the faith everyone, and (not) fired. Work in progress, always. xoxo

 

 

If it hasn’t happened yet for you, holiday dressing starts tomorrow, first of December, big time. We love us a mix.

For recent gala at world-renowned contemporary and modern Albright-Knox Art Gallery wore the ultimate, a sequined sleeveless t-shirt dress. Doesn’t get much easier than that. The event kicked off their current exhibition Monet and the Impressionist Revolution 1860-1910. While celebrating Impressionist artists, we were seated for dinner by none other than Henri Matisse, pretty downright amazing.

Love mixing up the daytime bag, daytime suede boots, and adding sheer dark hose, two matching silver wrist cuffs picked up in Sedona AZ a few years ago with a sequined t-shirt dress for a kind of glam night-time look.

Every day dress, we love us a mix.

Dress | Worth New York Winter 2015

Bag | Louis Vuitton

Boots | Isabel Marant

We’d kind of like to direct you to the bag and boot directly, yet kind of have way too much other stuff going on, like doing balsamic rosemary garlic chicken for dinner right about now. Sorry, you’ll have to search. 🙂

We love us a mix, sequins, cooking, and off to NJ tomorrow morning at 4:45 am, yikes, to work Spring 16. Every day dress. We’re okay with the nails undone, hair center-parted and straight, and a blurry camera lens. Sometimes you’ve just gotta get out the door, a good dress, bag, and heel always makes it easier.