Slipped this little band on the pinkie finger while packing to catch up with the husband in Portland OR.

He went out last week to get to know the Willamette Valley and to taste the Pinot Noir. Need to restock the cellar, now four of our adult children and those in their lives enjoy our wine as well. Second daughter made the trip out with him, she’s developing her appreciation through reading and travel. She and I bookended this trip, she flew back and I flew in, two high school students keep us all centered back home.

Tomorrow Saturday husband and I will celebrate twenty-eight years of marriage, the little emerald and diamond jewel was a gift on our first anniversary. We were heavily pregnant and that band slipped easily on the ring finger.

Now it’s moved on, down the line, to the next finger on the hand. These hands have grown wider while holding children, baking bread, planting gardens.

Three decades brings challenges and things to work out. The love simply gets deeper, and more complex, like the lines on our skin. He likes to travel, so travel I do. Tell him I’ll follow him anywhere.

Let’s keep it moving, dear husband, happy anniversary to us. Love you.

Wishing everyone a good Friday and wonderful weekend. Photos shown from the iPhone while in Dayton OR.

Simple style note: good food and blue nails keep things fun.

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour | VIBRATO | Limited Edition

After a dozen or so years of working from a home office and dressing women in our dining room, we’re making moves on securing a clear space.

A space with a receptionist, and with a lease agreement, in a suite of offices with other professionals, on a main avenue in downtown Buffalo.

Scary, and perhaps risky? Of course. Have really never known any new thing not to be. The upside is good though– a designated work space to create in and grow.

Knowing this move is close on the horizon has made where we’re at now a little more sacred. It’s been great working from home all these years with young children and young dogs about, we’re just all going through some changes and change entails movement, and cleaning. Honestly we’ve been cleaning every crevice, the drawers and under beds and even hosing down gutters while standing on high ladders. Home maintenance is huge, and moving office space is huge too.

Simply looking for a little clear space, both at home and professionally, all good things.

Hope everyone is having a great Monday, peace.

 

 

 

 

Heat feels like summer, yet we’re working hard to get the fall vibe going. Last weekend out in the country cooked up some steaks, tomatoes, asparagus and salt potatoes for a pool-side dinner, and this week Tuesday did four roast chickens for a somewhat chill back to school feast for eleven.

 

It’s always nice to wear good clothes while cooking for friends and family, Tom Ford says ‘dressing well is a form of good manners’. While he might not be all about plaid over the swimsuit or rips in the jeans with the white lace and silk blouse, we’re always about making things nice, and better.

Whatever your weekend plans, wishing everyone the best. Husband and second daughter out in Portland OR tasting the Pinot Noir, might just have to join them in spirit, for the weekend.

Every day dress, for the weekend. We dress, we cook, we live. Homemade whipped cream always. xo

Two teenaged daughters went back to high school this week, and like many moms we’re feeling stripped, give it your all, end of summer is always time for reflection, new directions, and counting blessings for getting through it all.

Wore a striped dress, sometimes confused with stripped, and studded sandals for meetings, runaround, and checking out new office space. When there’s no time to think, a dress is best. Make it a shirtdress and double points.

Every day dress, get up, get out, make good things happen.

We’re tucked into the country place for a day or two, barely dressed and going nowhere.

Short cut sunflowers in an old canning jar top the dinner table, as usual there are votives scattered about.

Kids are coming and going, they’ve got their city life too, and when they’re here it’s Rosé by the pool and card games on the deck.

Every day dress, last call everyone, love and enjoy. xoxo

It’s Thursday afternoon before the last long weekend of the summer and everyone’s prepping for back to school | work. While we’ve done some work here and there all along a regular routine is what’s needed about now. Women (and men) friends all over are dropping kids at college, out shopping for supplies, living by the pre-athletic calendar, and waiting for those school bells to ring. One daughter started yesterday, the youngest daughter starts next week.

Sharing with you the home office space and what we wear on a regular office day: that exceptional shirt, white denim, pale pink scalloped Chloe shoes; perfect for phoning, packing, moving, grooving. Flowers on the desk are from the city garden.

September has always felt like a season of new beginnings. For us that means looking at moving the office off campus, it’s worked here for the past decade or so yet feeling the need for perhaps more proper or professional space. It’s great to work from home, so many advantages, yet growth is about change too and we’re feeling some change going on around here. Here’s a little about what we’re up to:

• We’ve added a partner, Michelle, and she’s great. Prolific community volunteer, in love with her husband, and mom of three outstanding young men.
• We’ve got an active search going on in Saratoga Springs to add to out team of what is now eight great and different women here in upstate that enjoy great clothes, total flex-time, and the opportunity to be aligned with a national luxury women’s fashion company and have their very own business.
• Starting tomorrow, we’re on the look for some office and show space proper, we’ve dressed women in our dining room for a decade or so and now ready to reinvent.
• The little blog here has 131 subscribers, thank you dear readers, 174,000+ site visits, and we have 229 followers on Instagram, we’re pleased. (Two teenaged daughters have over 1,000 followers each but hey, it’s a generational thing).

Here’s a small pitch, if you too are looking for a little reinvention we say now is a very good time, back to school, back to work, all about the lifestyle of every day dress.

Let’s all get ready for the best weekend yet and then hit the deck for an amazing back to school and or work week. xo

First day of September and we’re all feeling a little shift. Fall clothes always seem to help with the mood and transition.

Wore a new little shift dress last dress Saturday, a good addition to the daily | nightly | weekly rotation. A silk t-shirt shape is the easiest thing ever, especially when it’s still hot.

Picked these floral brocade boots in Paris for third daughter’s new footwear addition. Loving this little shape shift too, the stacked heel has it going on. Fourth daughter is wearing floral patent pumps.

Every day dress, a little shift.

Black Silk and Mesh Drape Front Dress | Worth New York Fall 2015

Floral Brocade Boots | Isabel Marant

Floral Patent Pumps | Christian Louboutin

While our favorite time in Paris is probably September and/or October, summertime is good too.

As this is officially the last day of August summer twenty fifteen and we’re feeling maybe a little blue we’re doing one more look at all white. All white, always a favorite, summertime or not.

We did the Eiffel Tower lunch thing, at Le Jules Verne, so great.

Every day dress, one more look… Here we come September and fall twenty fifteen, see you tomorrow. xo

What used to be a full-out cotton candy bounce house snow cone popcorn machine invite everyone and then some jam party is now an intimate all at one table for dinner gathering. When you create a big life it often times calls for less, and less is great.

Fourth daughter sixth child turned fifteen last Sunday, and the family proper (all eight of us and a girlfriend), one grandmother, one aunt and one uncle broke bread.

Bought groceries, two dozen roses and ordered a walk-in take-out whole beef tenderloin trimmed and tied at the local butcher before leaving ski town. Headed north to the country place and cooked up a small storm. Box cake, and peach blueberry kind of crumble with lots of cut in butter is love for dessert.

 

 

It’s been a busy runaround week, last Sunday feels like last month or so, when you do fifteen times six (or five if you count the twins as two for one) the time between seems to get quicker and quicker. Peanut, love you to the moon and back.

Let’s all enjoy these last days of August, ready or not. xoxo

 

For second night out in ski country with husband’s law firm, went with a long skirt that was picked up when oldest son was a freshman in high school, now he’s a first year associate in said firm, back in our home town after seven years away for undergrad and law school, life is sweet.

Going long with the wardrobe is sweet too. It’s great to have pieces that can hang around for eleven or twelve years. The key is to pick good shape, good color, and good fabric. Pairing the long black skirt with the newer navy crepe jersey scarf blouse keeps the skirt feeling fresh and modern, always love black and navy.

For quick easy getaway packing went with solid colors; white, black, navy, one cuff bracelet, one necklace, two pairs of boots, and one bag.

Out of town colleague asked me today about #walkable boots. These are new ones from one of two current favorite Parisian women designers, Laurence Dacade. Her stuff is great, and I’ve become a little obsessed.

The long necklace is from Rochester NY friend and stylist Monica and her new jewelry company Dripping in Gems. Women working in fashion, love love love.

Every day dress, going long. Happy Monday everyone, below is how we’re going to get through the week: a slightly mad dash, #walkable, and with an open back.

navy crepe jersey scarf blouse | Worth New York