A little spirited relief from shoveling snow this Tuesday: we like to bookend our days with coffee first and wine last. Don’t let these photos fool you, it’s winter and when it’s dark it’s a nice glass of red, simply creating some visual interest. Just can’t seem to get away from it, and really, why?
So to break it up, lots of water in between. In fact, trainer has recommended going one to one: every coffee or diet coke or wine gets matched with a big glass of H2O. Cutting up a big pile of lemons for the water break is good, too.
Lunch-time post, check, really trying to get better here. Every day dress, bookend(s).
For client and colleague meetings, doing inventory and shipping out samples wore the same outfit two days in a row, kid you not, a week or two ago. White blouse, leather pant, flat shoes. Gave it a little personality with Chien cuff and fourth daughter’s old JCrew socks. Casual, yet still dressed, had to move a lot.
Love this shirt as there’s no (dry cleaning) turnaround, machine wash on cold, hang to dry, perhaps lightly steam. Added it to the wardrobe in black too, we all know how useful a great black shirt is.
Now that I’ve figured out we’re all about great clothes and good food, here’s some pics from last night’s dinner:
Back to work now, prepping for Spring 2015 Trunk Shows and searching for a new stylist in upstate New York, with good focus on Saratoga Springs. Beef Stew on deck for after hours tonight, cold, snowy, and winter storm advisory here in Buffalo.
Have a great Monday. Every day dress, no turnaround.
When things work well, do it twice. Fifteen years ago husband and I built this house, where most of these blog posts come from, we now all call home. Outrageously expensive, all-consuming; every single floor board, door handle, faucet, window frame, stone countertop, light fixture, light switch, each piece of wood trim, you name it, we picked it. While we might not ever do that kind of thing again, never say never, going through an experience like that reaffirms that when things are good and work well, do it double.
Dishwashers? Absolutely. In the thirteen or so years we’ve been tucked in have probably pushed out 9,490 meals or so. And most of those have been for six or more, most often eight. That’s a lot of cooking and a lot of dishes. Double dishwashers, such a great thing. At first they were Miele and hidden behind matching cabinet doors. For the first eight years, perfection. Then they started acting up, needed service, and one needed to be replaced. In went another foreign brand, only one, the other one was still okay. Never felt the new replacement was that great. Then the other went down, and as there was no love affair going on with the new one that was ordered online, and we were downsizing with the amount of kids that were living at home, never replaced that first original one, until recently.
Cut to the quick, I guess the point of all of this is that if you enjoy being a home cook, and if you have the option and opportunity to place double dishwashers on either side of an extra-wide and extra-deep sink, go for it absolutely. These things give really unbelievable pleasure. 🙂
Now, one more thought: if you’re gonna roast a chicken, why not two? Stuff them with lemons, and garlic, and thyme. Cover with butter, and salt, and pepper. Surround with sliced onions, carrots, and potatoes. Dinner that night, and lunch, the day after that. Pleasure, again.
Tangent, and this could be an entirely separate post yet I digress: have read and explored a bit about blogging and realize there aren’t really any best practices followed here.
No regular posting schedule, haven’t hired anyone to help with the technical stuff, really no involvement with other fellow bloggers, not a lot of engagement with readers. No marketing plan.
On the upside, and there’s always that, have thought about the voice of every day dress, and that it’s a love of good food and great clothes, and sometimes great food and good clothes. It’s passionate, comes from the heart, and is grounded in family. And that it’s fun to write, and share, and possibly inspire.
So, in the spirit of always learning, and growing, and trying and doing better, challenging myself to be a bit more consistent, without too much discipline. Love having a space and no one to answer to, no deadline, no subject. Yeah, there’s discipline in this life for sure, and now looking for a little more here.
Thank you, dear readers, truly feel that each day can be better when there’s thought and care given to some pretty fundamental basics, good food and good clothes. Thinking the tagline might be re-written to show some of this. Fashion, per se, seems a bit high-reaching, especially when I also find dishwashers so darn interesting. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, and happy 49th Super Bowl Sunday. California Pizza’s tonight, doing it double.
Sixty years and two days ago dear husband arrived in this world. Celebrated, of course, with family dinner at home.
No Rolex, or fancy cocktails for a hundred or so, simply flew two Boston MA girls home for his surprise.
Osso Bucco was a whole day affair, that with work and all. Thankful for good clothes, never had a chance to think about what to wear. Printed silk blouse (black lace bra underneath, something needs to be fancy), sleeves rolled up, ubiquitous blue jeans and flat black boots, good to go.
Went without the cliché of fresh flowers, this was a man’s party, and put three small pots of ivy down the table. (So much less than fresh flowers too, being January and broke and all). White tapers, this time no votives.
You’d think with a milestone like this for the man I love deeply I would have it together a bit more. Knew what I wanted and needed to do, took a deep breath, anxiety and all, and went forward. Had visual memories of three photos from recent travels, at 4 pm dropped them in a thumb drive, headed to Kinko’s FedEx and printed them out, and then to Target, I know I know, to grab a frame. Here it is ready for the red room, haha.
This is how it looked at 5 pm, and dinner was at 8: carrot cake baked, cream cheese frosting on the counter, haricot verts blanched, veal shanks wrapped and on a tray, onions out for the risotto. One great thing about doing things time and again is that you don’t really have to measure things like chopped vegetables: simply feel the amount needed for onion, celery, carrots, tomato, garlic. Spinach and artichoke dip to go with the champagne, and caesar salad for some more green.
Green continued with wine bottle-shaped sugar cookies, hand embellishment with his birth year as vintage. 🙂
There were eight of us plus one, second son’s girlfriend, always make room for more love at the table.
Happy 60th dear husband. 1955 was a very good year. xoxo
For third daughter’s sixteenth birthday celebration this past Saturday night, ordered five cakes from our local restaurant two days before the party. They don’t make one big cake, had to order enough for sixty or so guests so five cakes it was. Yeah, kind of last-minute, made it work. Didn’t want anything too overdone, or looking like a wedding, so naturally waited to the very sweet end. Thank you, Cynthia, you were spot on, they were a hit. A little anxiety about how to make five cakes feel special, it came in the middle of a long walk: five siblings, each will carry one and present, sparkle candle and all. Fun.
Balloons were a two-day before addition as well. At the walk-through on Thursday afternoon at 2:30 pm, asked the club manager for her source, deliver she did. Chris, from Balloon Masters, did it up brilliantly. Called him on the car phone on the way home, barely 48 hours in advance, signed, sealed, and delivered. Wanted to call in a real photographer, husband nixed that idea rather quickly, like the blog here we’re a bit of a do it yourself cottage industry.
Dress was bought the day before, no stress there, that’s one of the things we do here at every day dress, dress busy women in beautiful clothing. Last minute for that kind of thing is fine. Shoes were a gift from Santa Baby, she was delighted. Birthday crown purchased at a local little French shop in Sonoma CA, two years ago, she wore it at her fourteenth as well. New nail color, Chanel.
We were all there. A New Year’s Day birth is sometimes a little left behind. This year, not so much. Lizzie, happy sweet sixteen, we love you to the moon and back.
Every day dress, five cakes. Believe, keep moving, make good things happen.
For three nights straight, baked like crazy. Crazy stuff is going on all around in kitchens and beyond everywhere, busy time of year. Love the personal touch the hand can lend to gatherings large or small.
Baked like crazy when blessed by being home with a houseful of young children. Now four of them are out, two of them in, and youngest daughter said she loves when the house smells like Christmas.
For husband’s annual office Christmas party, this year in a space that was moderate and new, loaded the car with cookies and greens candles and decorations all from home. Dressed it up nicely.
Just as the clock hit six, slipped on super simple black dress. No manicure, no pedicure, no jewelry, thinking we’re all a bit baked like crazy. Client and friend told me yesterday the week before Christmas is one of the busiest of the year. Agreed.
One good thing about doing things many times is that you begin to understand that simple will do. This time of year, white lights, white flowers, (from her date’s mom, how nice!),white candles, fresh greens, good to go. A few ornaments and some glittered nutcrackers dress the table.
Youngest of six, high school date dance. Done this a time or two. 🙂
Even served super simple food. Punch, chips, dip, and cookies. They didn’t really eat a thing, it simply looked and felt special. Way too much excitement in the air, simple will do.
After the drive down, made some simple dinner and sat among the cranberry ginger ale topped with a cherry glasses.
One thing the chef talked about at Canyon Ranch cooking class was the single idea of keeping your oven at 400 degrees. Instead of adjusting the oven temperature, you simply adjust the cooking time. Much like perceived exertion when exercising, it’s really kind of a feel. Have been keeping that oven at 400 degrees this week, simple it is, simple will do. Cod, asparagus, tomatoes, all roasted, 400 degrees. (Not for baked goods, that gets more precise).
Every day dress, simple will do. Sister in CA messaged me at 4:28 am, ‘just caught the spirit – it always takes a little time but it’s good when it finally gets ya…
Love to all.
Style note: thinking all seven young women shortened their dresses with packing tape from the home office, how sweet.
This is what was ordered in afterwards, thank you Dante and La Nova Pizzeria, huge hit.
Thanksgiving Eve, gathering the goods is done, prep work in process.
To keep things going have decided that when something is good, and works, double up. Mid-week cooked up some beef stew, added double vegetables, although not with the potatoes, kind of wondering why potatoes have such a bad rap with the husband, he refuses to eat them. Apple tart, times two, yet single crust, no need to double up that deliciousness, right?
Denim on denim, yup, that’s me. Double up, kitchen and wardrobe. If it works, do it twice.
Happy Thanksgiving all.
xoxo, every day dress.
The two beautiful blondes? Gwyneth and Lisa (Lisa Gersh, you can google her, no wikipedia page yet), in last week’s New York Times Sunday Styles. As this is fashion and lifestyle, still so miss Alexis’s blog, www.alexisstewart.com, even though she hasn’t posted since 2012, (Martha’s daughter), have to say we read and love Goop, even if it’s a bit commercialized, best wishes, world domination, good luck with that.
Everything’s been closed for about four days now, and neighbors in the south towns have joined together and getting through all this snow. Best wishes to everyone.
In the city of Buffalo we’ve been like a little hideaway: to brighten things up have gone to totally red lip and nail color and into roasting sweet potato fries. What you make at home can be better than what you get out. So want to tuck into a bag of chips and dip, doing the drive around without any cash to stay away from the quick mart, instead of that ditching the nude lip color and going bold and red, you’ve got to watch what you eat and drink. Sweet and red, every day dress.
Buffalo NY and close neighbors, like Hamburg, and Orchard Park, on national news with record snow fall, low temps, roads and schools closed, three days now.
Wouldn’t you know that while UPS was closed, needed to send a few dresses back for a very good client, sorry Josephine, the local grocer, Wegman’s, was open, and the fish came in today.
Roasted some halibut and some leftover counter-top tomatoes, quickly boiled up some sugar snap peas. Red, white, and green, are you feeling it too?
Note on the wine: really loving this Butternut Chardonnay, 90 point rating on some sites, and it’s less than $15. Check it out here at Bounty Hunter, one of our favorite stops in Napa CA. at Thinking we need to buy a case or three with two daughters coming home for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Stay warm and safe everyone, every day dress. xoxo
