Spencer Morgan Designs

Superbowl and Sick

2012-02-06T09:48:00.000-05:00

How about that Super Bowl?! Go Giants! We ended up having a very low key super bowl night at home. Ben came home Friday night with the stomach bug. He was starting to feel better yesterday and we thought it was gone but this morning it looks like it might rear it's ugly head again. Prayers would be much appreciated at this point. However, back to the super bowl - what did yall think about the game, Madonna, and the commercials? We thought the commercials were so-so, with a few that were great. I'm very mixed on Madonna. I was pleasantly surprised that Madonna, of all people, had a clean enjoyable show. Who would have thought Madonna would come proving to be family friendly, (even more than some of the commercials.) My brother-in-law tweeted a fun fact - "Interesting fact: Madonna is older than the super bowl..." Haha I hope I can look that good when I'm 53 but I'm not holding my breath. So what did you think??

February??

2012-02-02T13:03:00.002-05:00

I am having a hard time believing that we are already two days into February. 2012 is already speeding by. Which means that Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Less than two weeks!! So hurry and tell that man in your life which jewels you want so he can "surprise" you.

Prop Shop

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-05:00

About a month ago Ben and I discovered a gem over in Brooklyn. I had heard about the Prop Shop originally on the Nate Burkus show. Well, we got on the subway and 15 minutes later we were stepping in the Prop Shop. It's on a side street and you must be buzzed in order to see the lovely finds inside. Are you wondering what the prop shop is yet? It's this big concrete room filled with props from movies and TV shows. Once the filming is finished the props go to the prop shop. The props are then either up for sale or to be rented yet again for more film sets. This shop has anything you can possibly imagine! But beware, some of the glass in the shop is "shatter glass" You know when you see those action shots when someone breaks a glass over someone's head? Well, that is shatter glass. So a fair warning of those pretty champagne glasses you're about to bring home. They might be better to break over someone's head than for drinking. We didn't buy any glasses but we did come home with a wonderful and extremely comfy couch. (Multiple naps have taken place over the past month.) So all this to say, this place is a gold mine and you all should visit if you're in the area! You won't leave empty handed.

I wonder whose wedding cake this was??

This is now sitting in our living room

It fits perfectly!

Year of the Dragon

2012-01-30T08:36:00.003-05:00

It was a pretty low key weekend with the exception of stumbling upon the Chinatown parades for the year of the dragon. I felt like I was smack dab in the middle of China itself. There were dragons everywhere. Going in and out of all the stores, taking "gold" and giving good luck to the owners. And wherever there was a dragon there was a banging drum, or two. It was fun to see their traditions. We didn't leave empty handed, we returned with our own bag of gold, a 2 lbs bag of fortune cookies!

Spring Trends

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

This is a bit on the late side but I thought I'd do a quick rundown of the Spring fashion which will run through Fall. These are the main ones but there are those other ones that I'm choosing not to follow, ie mesh, crop tops, etc. Let's keep it classy. Haha

Color-blocking by Robert Rodriquez

Peplums by Jason Wu

Easy wearable peplum by Alice & Olivia

Pleats by Prada

Drip Waist by Chanel

Floral Prints by Marc Jacobs

Citizen of Humanity

Jewelry Extravaganza

2012-01-24T17:05:00.000-05:00

Are you tired of seeing the new collection yet? My intention was not to leave it up there for a week but I have been fighting a yucky cold and haven't felt like doing much of anything lately. The day before I was the lucky winner of "the yucky cold" I booked a ticket to fly down to Orlando to attend Rennigers jewelry extravaganza. Needless to say, I only spent about 2.5 hours looking around before I flaked out BUT came away with some fantastic finds! I'll now be spending my time designing and making new pieces for the website.

New Website

2012-01-16T19:15:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a nice long weekend. We spent Sunday and Monday updating the website. ("we" means Ben.) He worked long and hard and made some incredible changes. It really pays off to be married to such a talented man!

In addition to the glamorous website changes, you might also see that Spencer Morgan Designs is adding a few new additions. We now have a "special" collection which is $80 and higher. These are truly special pieces and I hope you'll take a look and let me know what you think of all the changes! If you see something you like "pin it" on pinterest, or post it on facebook!

Mix it up

2012-01-13T08:53:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's already Friday. I suppose there is no better way than to start the weekend with some bright colors!

BCBG

Shosanna

Nanette Lapore

Antonio Berardi

Marc Jacobs

Can you tell I love this trend?

Pastel-ish

2012-01-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

Basically, every single person looks good in these next few colors. (Including some of those preppy southern gentlemen)

Shosanna - almost got all the colors in one piece

Luca Luca

Tucker

JCrew - I cannot wait to purchase these!

Neutrals

2012-01-11T06:30:00.000-05:00

Time for the ever present neutrals! Majority friendly.

Calvin Klein

BCBG Max Azria

Diane von Furstenburg

Net-A-Porter

70 Appliances

2012-01-10T06:30:00.000-05:00

The second day is for all the those 70 lovers.

Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la renta

Anthropologie

J Crew

Colors for Spring

2012-01-09T06:30:00.000-05:00

I honestly can't believe that stores are getting in shipments of Spring arrivals, but they are and I guess I'll embrace it. (Even though we won't be seeing warm weather for at least 4 months.) However, I'm sure there will be a visit to see family down in Florida or even a tropical vacation within 4 months, both which I'll need something other than my puffy coat. So maybe I'll be able to find something in these new Spring colors!!! Although, some of them really don't do so well with my pale skin...so I'll pick and choose. But for everyone else get ready for some new color trends...

The one that everyone has already heard - Tangerine
Think 1970 appliances - some gold, almond and avocado
Then we have those layered neutrals - Oatmeal, Grays, and tans
Next we have those pastels - girly shades like blush pink/cotton candy, mint green, and robin's egg blue
And of course, we'll need to brighten it up with some raspberry, Cyan, or anything neon
And lastly, graphic blacks and pure whites.

Let's take one at a time - Tangerine! (Which is the one that does not look good on me but of course the most popular.)

Shopbop -

Derek Lam

JCrew -

If you can't wear this color like me then you can always do some accessories.

Also JCrew

Tory Burch

Final Day

2012-01-06T06:30:00.000-05:00

Here is the last day of Christmas break. Little man made us breakfast and then we all played out in the yard. It was a great way to end a great break! Next week is all about fashion for 2012.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

A Different Christmas

2012-01-05T06:30:00.000-05:00

This Christmas was different than any of the ones in the past. This year we had one little boy (although a big boy if you ask him) who was quite excited about all those gifts under the tree. Not only the gifts but also the Christmas carols, especially "Hark the Harold Angels Sing" and the classic Christmas movies. Every morning we watched either Elf, a video of the Rockettes, or The Nutcracker. It is so fun to see all the things we grew up with through the eyes of a 2.5 year old. Next year there will be two little boys that will be participating!

Little Man is watching the Nutcracker for the umpteenth time while baby O (while not such a baby anymore) is in the background teething.

Having what he calls "Little Boy Coffee"

On their way to see Baby Jesus

This happened a lot. They're such great buds

Tucker is getting to old for all this excitement

Papa got a new Lionel train for Christmas which was a HUGE hit for all the boys!

Beach at Christmas?!

2012-01-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered what you do in Florida in the days right before Christmas? When I was growing up in the Sunny state I always wished for cold Christmases. But now that I live in New York where we get plenty of cold weather it's such a treat to visit my parents house where we play with our Christmas toys in shorts and flip flops! They only live a couple miles from the beach which means we can take spontaneous beach trips...

A couple of days later we decided to go back with the little ones right before dinner

Dad with his girls

Happy New Year!

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! I cannot believe that two weeks have gone by and we've celebrated Christmas and the end of 2011. The past couple of weeks have been packed with fun events. I'm a bit sad that it all has to come to an end and we have to resume normal life again. Ben is back at work (I've selfishly loved having him free) and I'm starting the process of revamping Spencer Morgan Designs. Stayed tuned for that news. However, I'm just now going through all the pictures from the past few weeks and they most definitely put a smile on my face.

We had a wonderful New York, New Years Eve spent with friends. It was a progressive dinner type of night beginning a few floors above in our friends apartment. Then we made our way down to our apartment for drinks, dessert, and a little dancing of The Dougie. And 30 minutes before the clock struck midnight, we moved to a bar, named Ward III a couple of blocks away. And about an hour later, now fully into 2012 we called it a night. And a great night it was! I hope you all had a wonderful New Years!

Sitting down for our nice steak and salmon dinner

Group shot on the balcony

Do you think you could tell in a blind taste test which one is Andre and which is Cristal? We sadly could not. Yes, we're ashamed.

Which one is it?!?! Answer - Andre wins

Some serious champagne taste testing (they are the only ones that actually picked the nice champagne)

Ben demonstrating some joke between them

It's 2012!!!

Signing Off

2011-12-21T06:30:00.000-05:00

Well, we're off to Florida for Christmas and I'm so excited! We've thoroughly enjoyed our December up here in NYC while living in the festive Christmas city but now it's time to go somewhere tropical. I think we might even hit the beach tomorrow.

We're going from this...

To this!!

See y'all in a week!! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Manly Things

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

Now back to the gift guides before it's too late and Christmas is here. This one is for that special man in your life...

1. Funny Moosehead Mugs from Etsy's shop Simon Et Cie
2. Golf, sleep, eat shirt from Etsy's shop Geek Things (if Ben could do anything in life this would be it)
3. Iphone case from JCrew
4. And incredible Leather Satchel from JCrew
5. Pointelle Sweater from Billy Reid
6. Beer Holder for your bike from Walnut Studiolo
7. Slippers fromOverstock
8. Ice Ball mold for the bartender in your life from Useful Things
9. Casual shirt from non other than JCrew

Family Weekend

2011-12-18T22:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a small taste of this past weekend. Tomorrow will have more gift guides!

Dazzling Weekend

2011-12-16T06:30:00.000-05:00

My family got in yesterday and tonight we're carrying on the tradition of seeing the Rockettes! We're even christening Little Man on this great show. We just found out there's no intermission this year so we'll see how captivating the Rockettes are to a little 2 and a half year old.

I hope you all have a dazzling, leg kickin' weekend!

Hostess with the Mostess

2011-12-15T06:30:00.000-05:00

Here is the beginning of the gift series! This is for your lovely Hostess with the Mostess. Next week will be the rest of the series...

1. Acrylic Tray from Rosenberry Rooms
2. Mid century Serving Bowl from Etsy's shop - House of Oliver
3. Shatterproof Champagne Glasses from govino
4. Soap and Lotion from Molton Brown (its expensive for soap which is why it would be a great gift)
5. Lovely little vase from Anthropologie
6. Pitcher and glasses from Etsy's shop Rust Belt Threads
7. Agate Coasters from Etsy's shop Aimee's Rockworks

Blurry but Fun

2011-12-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Since I posted the recipe yesterday, how about some pictures of the actual party? Most are just of the apartment because we were so excited about our rug coming (an hour before people arrived.) So we just kept snapping pictures of it. It's also hard to take photos while hosting a party. But we did take a few but most of them are blurry. So here are the non-blurry ones...

The cookies are going fast!

No matter how small the kitchen is people will gather

Compost Cookie

2011-12-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you've lived in NYC more than a week then you have heard of Momofuku Milk Bar. They've got some serious goods. And when I saw Christina Tosi from Momofuku on Good Morning America I decided I was going to attempt my hand at Momofuku's Compost Cookie for our cookie and beer exchange. Christina made this recipe look so simple but apparently she's had some practice. After reading all the reviews online, I became a bit hesitant but had already bought all the ingredients and was committed. So I gave it a go, refrigerated overnight, baked those crazy concoctions and came out with some different batches. My first batch came out right. The second batch came out a bit overdone, but were in for the same amount of time. The third batch which I timed for 5 minutes less came out even more burnt. How did this happen? Well, I really didn't have time to think about it because people were arriving in just a couple of short hours. So I acted like they were fine and put them out of my mind. But of course, when you make a "famous" cookie people are going to start asking questions. Needless to say, from here on out I'm sticking to my recipe exchange rule; stick to something tried and true and don't vary. So next year I'll be making chocolate chip cookies and in the meantime I'll be practicing on Ben so I perfect them like Christina Tosi.

Instead of typing the entire recipe, here is the link...recipe

Ikat Trend

2011-12-08T20:31:00.001-05:00

Tonight we're going to have a Christmas cookie and beer exchange over at our place. I'm hoping we have a good turnout with lots of fun cookie and beer assortments. I've been redecorating our place (for the 4th time in a year and a half) and wanted it done before the party tonight. But it looks like that won't be happening. We haven't yet received the rug or pillows. So I guess it'll just be the unfinished look. I couldn't decide if I wanted to get ikat pillows or an ikat rug. I figured the ikat trend would have end somewhat soon so I went with the less expensive and got pillows. However, I'm starting to wonder if this trend is actually here to stay for the long haul since everywhere I look I'm now seeing ikat as the new "nail art" design.

Christmas Windows

2011-12-07T06:30:00.000-05:00

I'm busy getting ready for some Christmas parties and events coming up this weekend which means I haven't had time to get up to Midtown to look at the windows. However, I did come across Refinery29's photos of the windows. It makes me so excited to see them in person on Saturday after Ben and I see the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center! But if you can't make it up here before Christmas, take a look through the sideshow below. It's almost like you're there.

http://www.refinery29.com/the-best-holiday-windows-in-nyc/slideshow#slide-1

Market Week

2011-12-06T06:30:00.000-05:00

It's no surprise that NYC has some great markets around the city and the boroughs. My sister even gave me a book on all the different markets throughout the city last year for Christmas. Needless to say, I've been slowly making my way through them. So far, I have not been disappointed. And I was able to check another one off my list last Friday when a good friend had setup shop at the Dekalb Market over in Brooklyn. The market has taken old shipping containers and re-purposed them into pop-up shops. How cool is that?! So one of my friends is one of the owners of the toy company, Tegu and they had just begun their "truck tour" and started around Dekalb market. If you haven't heard of Tegu then you should check it out since its a great toy for all ages, not just the little ones. (Ben has some Tegu blocks in his office.) And while my Tegu friends were talking to customers, I wandered around the market to check out the other vendors on site. There was an etsy site, clothing, jewelry, furniture, candles, and basically anything else you could think of, including yummy looking food! I'm already looking forward to going back and if you're coming into town then you should check it out as well.

Old shipping containers with fake men on the top!

Tegu's very own trunk with their cool car track

All the wooden magnetic cars and blocks

A passerby couldn't resist Tegu's car photo-op

Now to Breathe

2011-12-05T06:30:00.000-05:00

I'm just going to start off by saying that I have the best husband! Instead of relaxing on the couch or getting together with friends on his day off, he came with me to help out at the holiday trunk show. He even talked to some of the customers when I was talking to someone else and then went out to grab me lunch. I'm going to hang onto him!
Moving on to the trunk show itself. It was a wonderful experience where I learned a lot and met some very talented Designers. I have a new found respect for people who do trunk shows every weekend. Let me tell you it makes for a long day, not to mention a lot of prep work. But there is most definitely some fun that goes with it as well. Some of my friends came out to show some support which was of course great! So all-in-all it was a fun day at the holiday trunk show.

As a side note, you might want to check out the website for a sale!

Entrance into Sumi Tachibana's showroom

We're getting all setup

I shared a table with a Florist and candle maker

Homemade soaps -they smelled amazing!

Clothing designer with some beautiful tops

Cute Jewelry and purses

Holiday Trunk Show

2011-12-02T06:30:00.000-05:00

The weekend is finally here which means it's time for the big trunk show! I'm excited and nervous. So hopefully it will go well and I'm sure I'll have some fun during the show. I hope you all have a great first weekend of December!

Stuff those Stockings

2011-12-01T06:30:00.000-05:00

Still in some serious work mode so you know what the blog will be about...Jewels! I've been working on some stocking stuffers which will all be $38 and under. Perfect for a little surprise in those stockings!

Custom Work

2011-11-30T06:30:00.000-05:00

Now that I'm back in full working mode, here are some custom pieces I made last week. I'm working on a few others this week.

I hope you all enjoy the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas tree tonight!

Come and Gone

2011-11-28T21:14:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone and the days until Christmas are ticking away. The Rockefeller tree lighting is tomorrow and we have our first Christmas party on Thursday! But I'm jumping ahead. Thanksgiving was wonderful and one of the most relaxing yet. It as great to spend time with family down in Nashville. We had a yummy dinner for 21 people and the next morning awoke to the sounds of credit cards swiping. The rest of the weekend was spent seeing friends, watching football, eating some more and just being together. Now begins the countdown until this Sunday at the big trunk show!

Some pre-thanksgiving Brie and Sausage Balls - beginning to stretch the stomach

The men were concerned about getting their clothes dirty, thus the aprons

How many men does it take to fry a turkey??

We were able to catch up with some good friends while watching the Iron Bowl. Ben caught a cute little blonde's attention. We also watched all 3 of our football teams lose that day - somehow we're getting use to it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T06:30:00.000-05:00

We're on our way to Nashville to spend Thanksgiving with Ben's side of the family. I'm so excited to (hopefully) be with Ben work-free, spend time with family, see friends I haven't seen in 6 months, eat lots of homemade food, watch the best parade and do some black Friday shopping! We have so much to be thankful for this year! Here are just a few...

Thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with this amazing guy

Thankful we live in such a fun city

Family

I couldn't find a pic of the whole family so...

My two favorite little boys

More to be thankful for -

Great friends

Jobs

Health

And being a child of God

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Happy Holidays!!!

2011-11-21T21:26:00.001-05:00

It seems that the Holidays really are beginning and there was proof of it this past weekend! My first indication that Thanksgiving and Christmas is right around the corner was when I was walking past Macys in Herald Square and saw the mass chaos of the Christmas tree lights going up on the front of Macys. Apparently, they are getting ready for Santa to make his stop at the end of the greatest parade on earth! Next clue was my advent wreath making party with the girls. I had never made an advent wreath before and I was pleasantly surprised at how fun and relaxing it was to just decorate (and eat) while catching up with friends. After the wreath making party came the Thanksgiving Dinner with about 50 of our friends from church. :) We had it upstairs in our building and had such a great turnout. Everyone brought food, which means there was no shortage to worry about. It was a great way to kickoff the holiday season! Next, we'll be traveling down to Nashville to visit family and celebrate all we have to be thankful for this year!

The lovely Hostess' wreath

My first go at wreath making

Part of the spread

Did I mention that Ben took a little time away from work to go and have brunch?! We went to one of our favorite French neighborhood spots, Plein Sud. Yummy

C Wonder

2011-11-16T18:33:00.001-05:00

Apparently, as the holidays approach it seems that the hours in the day dwindle. Is anyone else having this problem? It seems as though all the hours are going to designing, creating, and Christmas shopping. I'm not complaining though since I enjoy all of these tasks. However, I do feel like I'm falling behind on the blogging and jewelry aspect. I've finally gone through all the Europe pictures (it took an hour and a half) but haven't for the life in me figured out how to blog about all the fun we had. On the more pressing topics I've put more necklaces up on the website and am completely open for Christmas shopping! Speaking of shopping, I'm getting close to finishing up our Christmas shopping. This is insanely early for me! But I can credit half of that to the new SoHo store C Wonder. I've been reading about it for about a month and finally went in yesterday. Oh my did I fall in love. It has preppy clothes (that reminded me slightly of Tory Burch's style) jewelry, and then loads of trinkets for your house. It is decorated fabulously and I can't wait to go back. Although, our bank account thinks I should wait a while.

I normally hate things on my kitchen counters but I think I could have made an exception for these nesting bowls!!

Random Knick Knacks

They had such cute dog plates - I almost bought the "Tucker" plate

Even the store flag and door are cool and attractive.

A Tease

2011-11-13T20:17:00.001-05:00

Did you all have a nice weekend? We had a busy but good one. Therefore, I still haven't had time to sort through all the Europe pics but did find a few gastrocentric pics that made me excited to go back! Who knew London had a restaurant explosion in the past 11 years (last time I had been?)

Currant Scones from Daylesford Organic

Having a sip at The Orange

Afternoon tea at Covent Gardens Hotel

Fish and Chips (& peas) in Oxford at The White Horse

Having another sip in the beer garden in Oxford at Turf Tavern - it dates back to the 13th century.

Had to throw this in there

Enjoying quite the drink in Oxford at The Trout

This is what you call a sausage buttie. We found this gem at the Pimlico Rd farmers market right by our flat. I could eat these everyday for breakfast.

Maybe I'll be able to get through all the pics today :)

Holiday Trunk Show

2011-11-09T21:52:00.002-05:00

If you haven't read on Facebook yet...I'm a part of this Holiday Trunk Show at the beginning of December! I'm so excited to be a part of this event and next to some very talented Designers. Some have been in various magazines, etc. If you're in the area on Dec 4th please stop by (or check out their websites) - anyone and everyone is welcome. Bring your friends as well!

I haven't even looked at one picture from the trip since I've been unpacking, working and spending the day back in reality. It was one incredible trip!!

Apple Bread Galore

2011-11-01T06:30:00.000-04:00

Today is the day!! We're leaving for London tonight. We're flying through the night (cross your fingers that we sleep) and this time tomorrow we'll be having tea and scones in foggy London town. I'll be out for a week but will obviously have lots to share once we get back! So I'll leave you with a recipe for apple bread, until we return.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups apples - peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
1 cup broken walnuts

Directions

In bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, place oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla and apples. Stir into flour mixture. Add walnuts and mix. Divided mixture between two greased bread pans. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

I did one with butterscotch chips and walnuts and one without

I hope you all have a great week!!

October or January??

2011-10-31T06:30:00.000-04:00

Here's what happened this weekend -

Last Minute

2011-10-28T06:30:00.000-04:00

This week has flown by! Maybe it's because I've been dreaming about our trip next week to these two places. So this weekend I'll be doing some last minute planning. If you have any recommendations, I'm all ears!!

And here

A Bit More

2011-10-27T06:30:00.000-04:00

Since the pieces from yesterday's post are long gone (which makes my day) here are a few more that are up on the website.

More More

2011-10-26T06:30:00.000-04:00

I'm back at it. I'm still designing more pieces for the Winter Collection. November closing in has kind of snuck up on me so I'm busy making stocking stuffers and other Christmas worthy pieces. Here are a few I put up yesterday.

Carving Time

2011-10-25T06:30:00.000-04:00

On top of all that other fun we had this weekend, I was also able to join in on some girly Halloween fun over at my friend's apartment. After brunch at PJ Clarks I dashed over to the carving madness. Julia is such an amazing hostess and had prepared some incredibly yummy cakes, sausage swirls, cookies, etc for pre-carving eats. Then the carving began! I love everything about the Fall, especially pumpkin carving and roasting pumpkin seeds!

Julia's really getting out the goop!

Packed Weekend

2011-10-24T06:30:00.000-04:00

This weekend went by incredibly fast but probably because it was so great and we did so much. Mom and Dad came in for a little Fall trip. Since we packed in a ton of things this weekend I'm just going to give you some bullet points. (I think Ben likes it when I do this anyway)

Thursday night - Dinner in the village at the yummy yummy Market Table
Friday morning - grabbed some apple cider donuts at the farmers market and then hit the shopping streets until we met up with Ben to see the Off-Broadway play The Fantasticks. It was incredibly intimate and fun. I'd recommend it to anyone wanting a great play and fun unique experience.
After the play we went down to our neighborhood and had drinks and after play eats at The Brandy Library.
Saturday we woke up early and went down to the 9/11 Memorial then drove to West Point and took a wonderfully beautiful and insightful tour of the campus. It should definitely be on the top of the most beautiful campus list. It overlooks the Hudson river and to top it off the leaves were changing. Gorgeous!
Then we drove to Cold Spring, NY and did a little antique shopping.
Finally making our way back to the city, we had dinner at Marc Forgione down in Tribeca.
Sunday we made our way through Central Park and over to PJ Clarks for brunch then before they left to go back to Florida we hit up some Shake Shack for the closing dinner.

World Trade Tower

South Tower fountain

West Point Chapel

Straight rows of bible - military style

Cold Spring antiquing

Dumplings

2011-10-20T06:30:00.000-04:00

My friend, Carla made some delicious apple dumplings for bible study last night and they were so good that I asked her if I could share them. She said yes and I started snapping pictures while she worked. This might just become my next "go to" dessert for when guests come over. I wish we had a fireplace because I could just imagine sitting in front of the fire under a blanket while eating some yummy dumplings. Not sure why I these make me think about fireplaces but yall should give them a go - see what they make you think. :)

Paula Dean would like this recipe since it uses some butter - but you're by the fire so who cares

Getting ready to bake

Golden delicious goodness

We used more apples than the recipe calls for and the apples we picked which were not granny smith

M I C K E Y

2011-10-18T20:40:00.001-04:00

I'm back from a fun trip to Florida with my mom, sister, and her boys. It was so much fun and nice to not be at home by myself while Ben travels. We accomplished a lot of fun activities while we were all together, one of those being Disney World! It's been two years since my last visit and I was excited to be back. One of the amazing things about growing up in Florida is being so close to Disney. I can't even count how many times I've been in my life - and I love it! There's not much explaining that needs to be done when it comes to the fun had by all when Mickey is around so I'll let the pictures talk for themselves.

Me and my two favorite little boys

Little Man was in awe of Walt

Disney in full Fall mode

First time meeting Mickey and was so excited! Talked about him until I left 3 days later

Even us grown-ups were excited

Small World wonder

Although this little guy was put to sleep in It's a Small World

Baby blues

The line for Winnie the Pooh sis as good as the ride

Race Car madness

Can hardly even see the little man

The sun is setting which means its time to go home!

Apple a Day...

2011-10-14T06:30:00.000-04:00

Warwick, NY is a great apple picking place in the Hudson Valley. We ended up at the same orchard as last year, Applewood Orchard. And yet again we had a great time. As a bonus, Applewood is also a winery and sells yummy hard apple cider and of course wines. I can't wait to come back here with kids since they have sheep, face painting, puppets, and live music. It's basically a kids dream...and a little bit of mine. But with all the activity, Ben and I snuck away and had ourselves a picnic near the same place as last year. It's right by the red barn and open field. We were heading out and had planned on grabbing the apple cider donuts as a dessert but they had run out which meant we had to find another orchard so we could get our donut fill. We found Orchs Orchard which was a bit smaller but had more produce and DONUTS! After that donut run we decided to visit another orchard that gets a lot of press named, Masker Orchard. It was a serious orchard and huge at that. They had all the kids activities, too. It was a production and quite pretty since it was up on a hill overlooking a valley. However, we decided that we liked the more intimate setting for picking the apples over at Applewood. Although, I'm sure one day we'll venture out to another orchard. The drive was beautiful since the leaves are beginning to change and Fall is here!

Just 3 rockstars hanging out on the side of a barn.

This tree was full of apples ready to be picked

Our perfect picnic

This was the view we choose over the puppet show

Orchs hot apple cider donuts

Maskers serious rows of apple trees - these went on forever!

but a good view

This was our sunset welcoming us back home to the city!

Are you ready for apple recipes?!?!

Where's Manhattan??

2011-10-12T17:44:00.002-04:00

Well, for some reason my blog post never posted this morning. It was a long one at that. Since I'm leaving for Orlando tomorrow to visit Sis and still have a lot to do this post will be much shorter.

Ben had Columbus day off and we took full advantage! We carried on the apple picking visit to Warwick, NY just like last year. However we made a few stops along the way. We stopped at The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park. If you didn't know better then you would think you were waaaay outside Manhattan in some peaceful park but you would be wrong. It is right here in Manhattan, up by 204th st to be exact. The Cloisters is closed on Mondays so we didn't get to go inside. This was also the case with the restaurant in park called, The New Leaf. But I'm thinking we'll be coming back up here many more times and maybe even next weekend when my parents come to visit we can sit on the patio of New Leaf and have brunch!

Ben walking up the path to the Cloisters

Looking out to Morningside Heights

Looking across the Hudson river to Jersey - notice the George Washington Bridge in the background

Tree lined sitting area - there was an older gentleman whittling a baseball bat which seemed normal up in these parts

We stopped off Palisades Parkway to gaze back at our little city. I think we're in love!

Where to Brunch?

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

Did everyone have a nice Columbus Day? Hubs had the day off so we took advantage and drove to Warwick, NY and did a little apple pickin. But more on that later. We also had a wonderful brunch with friends on Saturday at The Dutch, in SoHo. And a week ago we had another great brunch at Sarabeth's down in our hood, TriBeCa. I'm really not sure which one I enjoyed more. It was our first time going to The Dutch but we had been to Sarabeths multiple times. I do love Sarabeths and will probably go there more than any other brunch place around BUT The Dutch definitely gave it a run for its money. Especially when it came to presentation. They served the meals in All Clad pots. So obviously that has the cool factor. If it were closer to us then I'm not sure who would win. We might just have to split them 50/50.

Hubs contemplating what to get at Sarabeths with the new World Trade tower in the background

It was late so I went for more of lunch with the beet and portobello sandwich

Hubs on the other hand went with his usual - Chorizo and pepper frittata

Again, Hubs' order of sausage and fried eggs but this time at The Dutch

My order of yogurt and honey granola with figs.

Weekends!

2011-10-07T08:40:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday!!! Hubs and I are going apple picking and to see Ides of March at a theater that serves dinner and drinks! I couldn't be more excited! I hope you all have a wonderful Fall weekend.

Just Whenever

2011-10-06T06:30:00.000-04:00

Are you tired of jewelry yet?! Well, don't worry tomorrow is Friday so it's almost over. :) However, these babies are great for anytime...

A Bit of Flare

2011-10-05T06:30:00.000-04:00

These little numbers have a bit more flare and could be great with a tee or a dress!

The Jewel Week

2011-10-04T06:30:00.000-04:00

Last week was all about the recipes but this week is all about the jewels! Ever since I got back from the buying trip in Austin, I've been working on designing more Fall pieces. There are about 20 more pieces up on the website and I must say that I'm pretty excited about these little gems. Are you wanting to see something that you haven't yet?

Lights, Ferries, and Food

2011-10-03T06:30:00.000-04:00

Last weekend while Hubs with traveling, some of the girls ventured over to Weehawken, New Jersey to go to dinner with a friend who lives across the Hudson. We took the ferry (which is only 7 minutes across river) and then ended up over at the riverwalk. Ate dinner at a restaurant named, Son Cubano which is right on the river and had an amazing view of the west side of Manhattan. (I should mention there is a Son Cubano in the city but haven't visited that one) The entire night was an unexpected adventure. The view to and from Jersey was out of this world, especially since we left during the sunset! The food was great and the people watching was just as good as in the city. I kept expecting one of the Real Housewives of New Jersey to waltz through the door. But no, didn't happen. All-in-all, a great night and hope to do it again!

Getting on the ferry, looking across the Hudson to Jersey

Weekend Worthy

2011-09-30T08:14:00.003-04:00

If you remember from last year, I love Fall baking -especially when it comes to apples. However, this one has nothing to do with apples since we haven't gone apple picking yet. But it is baking and it is perfect for the weekend! It's Toll House cookie pie! Just by the name you know its good.

Ingredients

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell *
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 325° F.

BEAT eggs in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy. Beat in flour, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into pie shell.

BAKE for 55 to 60 minutes

Have a happy Fall weekend!!!!

Get Crackin

2011-09-29T06:30:00.000-04:00

Ready for another recipe? This one is so fun and freezer-friendly. They are the siblings to McDonalds Egg and Cheese McMuffins, except a bit better for you! All you need are a dozen eggs, english muffins, and cheddar cheese. Preheat your oven to 350. Crack your eggs directly into a muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes. While the eggs are baking slice your muffins and toast with the eggs for a about 10 minutes. One these are done, pop them out (butter the muffin if desired) and freeze together on the baking sheet for about an hour. (You need to freeze them before assembling them or they will get soggy when you reheat them.) Take them out and assemble your egg and cheese mcmuffin - I also put salt and pepper and wrap individually in aluminum fold and place in freezer.

Whenever you decide to eat them just heat them in the oven for about 30 minutes. They can be heating while you're getting ready for work!

(Yes, we have ice trays)

Carrots and Bread??

2011-09-28T06:29:00.000-04:00

Remember the pic from yesterday with that slice of bread next to the chowder? That slice was none other than Carrot Bread. Yep, that's right - carrot. I made a loaf and froze half of it so we can pull it out when we need a quick bread to go with a meal or just even a quick breakfast. Alright, here's the recipe...

8 medium carrots

1 1/3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons butter, completely softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk (or 1/3 cup milk mixed with 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice which is what I did b/c I didn't have buttermilk)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan

Peel and slice 3 of the carrots into 1/4-inch rounds. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil, add the carrots and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain. Let cool, and then puree in the food processor or blender. Coarsely grate the remaining 5 carrots. Set both the pureed carrots and grated carrots aside.

Put the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix the butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in the eggs one at a time until combined. Stir in the buttermilk, carrot puree and grated carrots. Add the flour mixture and mix until well-blended.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake about 55-65 minutes.

2011-09-27T06:39:00.000-04:00

The next few days I'm going to be sharing some recipes that I made over the weekend that are just plain tasty and perfect for this Fall weather! The first is a yummy chicken and corn chowder. You can freeze this as well for those future snowy days where it's too cold to go to the store, but we're not talking about that yet. So here goes...

Ingredients:

6 ears of fresh corn or 1-30 ounce can corn and 1-15 ounce can cream corn
6 slices bacon, chopped
3 medium potatoes (like Idaho potatoes)
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk (I used 1% since that's all we had - worked great)
2 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 small can chopped green chiles
2 cups roasted chicken, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a large stock pot, fry the bacon pieces until crisp. Remove from the pan, leaving half of the drippings, and set aside. OR you can microwave the bacon and still use half the drippings which is waaaay easier and faster. This is the method I always use with bacon!

Peel and chop the potatoes into bite sized chunks.Place the potatoes into the stock pot and cook over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes.

Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.

Pour in the milk, chicken stock, Old Bay, thyme, cayenne, salt, and pepper, stirring well. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add corn, chicken, bacon, and green chiles. Cook over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. If you want to top it off with some cheddar cheese be my guest!

2011-09-26T06:30:00.000-04:00

Wow! I'm finally back from my travels to Florida (watching FL beat TN - sorry hubs) and Austin. They were both such fun trips. I'm also not sure where to start to share all the fun things we did and visited so I think I'm just going to do mostly pics.

I only have a few pics of Florida but let me just say that it was so much fun being home and with the entire family. We went to the Gator v TN game (our household rival games) and of course the Gators won.

This pic was before the game - confidence!!

We got Krispy Kreme doughnuts after like we have since I was about 4 years old. (the sign proves how old it is)

Come Monday, mom and I ventured over to Austin for some jewelry buying. And boy did I find some beauties! I've already made a few pieces which will be coming on the website soon!

More....

We had some awesome recommendations on places to eat during our visit and Ranch 616 did not disappoint! If you're in Austin or visiting, you should go to Ranch 616 and if possible sit outside next to cactus.

Cactus

We ventured on South Congress Ave and did some vintage shopping (mom bought me a vintage leather skirt) as well another great meal.

Some more vintage shopping at Uncommon Objects. Again, highly suggest this shop! Also, as you're shopping down S Congress you can pick up a vintage store map which will help get you to all the good stops! Leave enough time because there are a lot of them.

One store we couldn't pass up was the old soda fountain - I could have stayed here for hours but mom and I both forced ourselves to leave

We had lunch here and it was great as it was recommended!

We ate at Z Tejas for dinner and sat outside on the top balcony. It was just perfect! It was a great girls trip with some successful jewelry buying! Looking forward to another trip next year...

2011-09-15T07:38:00.002-04:00

Sorry for not posting yesterday but I couldn't turn my computer on. However, I have a nice tasty treat for you today! I found this jem on Pinterest and had to make it right away! Of course, its pumpkin based. It is Fall, ya'll. So all you need is one box of yellow cake mix and one can of pumpkin filling. Here's the kicker - just mix those two ingredients together, put in muffin tin and bake at 350. That's right, no eggs, butter, oil, etc. Just those two ingredients! Have fun and no luck needed. :)

I also am leaving for Florida tomorrow for the Florida vs Tennessee game. (Its our family rivalry with a twitter war to prove it.) And then will be flying straight to Austin for a jewelry buying trip. So I'll be back blogging next Thursday. I hope yall have a great weekend!

Football and Food

2011-09-13T06:30:00.000-04:00

If you looked through the mass of pictures in yesterday's blog post you probably wouldn't think we did anything this past weekend besides walk and around and take pictures. However, we did take some time to fit some football in on Saturday! We are quite the football fans and create quite the setup - well Hubs creates quite the setup with his IT skills. So after we had watched the most important SEC games we thought it would be fun to have some friends come over for the night games. However, I didn't have time to cook dinner but still wanted to have enough finger foods to replace a big dinner. I looked on Pinterest and found an easy fast ham and cheese crescent roll sandwich. I figured these sandwiches with a few other dips would do the part. These would also be great for toddlers to help with.

Our three "tvs" with 3 different games

A couple of packages of Pillsbury crescent rolls, Ham sandwich meat, slices of cheese - your choice

Roll those puppies up with the point down

And of course a blueberry pie

9/11 Special Memorial

2011-09-12T06:55:00.000-04:00

After our second 9/11 here in NYC and living only 3 blocks from ground zero I have an utter appreciation and respect for those who gave their lives to save more of ours. They are true heroes and I thank each one of you. Since I would never be able to describe everything we saw and felt from Friday night Security car checkpoints to Saturday Freedom Rider traffic jams until Sunday night seeing the Tribute in Light all in downtown Manhattan I'll let you all look through our extensive Picasa album.

As we were sitting in our apartment watching 9/11 footage we heard bagpipes down on the street. We ran downstairs and ended up witnessing some of the Port Authority men playing bagpipes in the middle of our blocked off street before finally marching down Church St to St Paul's. If you want to see more videos search spencerrebecca1.

2011-09-08T23:27:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday! I'm ready for a little weekend break. The trunk show was a success and so much fun to do up here in NYC! Thanks again, A. We had a great turnout of people. There were also some yummy treats, drinks and a view to die for. A has a wonderful balcony which we relaxed on towards the end of the show while taking in the skyline and wondering about all the people shopping like madmen at Fashion's Night Out. (Next year I'm participating and shopping like a madman - can't wait to see the highlights) Thanks to everyone who came! I hope everyone now has a wonderful weekend. Although, I hope no one goes without at least taking a moment to remember all the families who lost loved ones 10 years ago and those who gave their lives during the attacks.

We forgot to take pics yet again so this is at the end of the show... oops

NYC Show

2011-09-08T06:22:00.000-04:00

I must say this year has been quite a slow year in terms of trunk shows for SMD. I've had a few outside of the city but none here in New York. Moving to a new place just takes some time to get acclimated. Well, it's been over a year now which means I'm acclimated! So tonight is my first trunk show in NYC. There have been a ton of people invited, thanks to one of my dear friends so I'm excited to see the turnout and meet some new people. I'm ready to show off the Fall collection and Team jewelry! I hope to have pics tomorrow but so far I'm horrible at taking pics while the show is taking place. Fingers crossed!

Fall Obsession

2011-09-06T21:42:00.002-04:00

Since Labor Day has come and gone I consider this the start of Fall (although Hubs keeps telling me otherwise.) Especially since today's high is going to be around 73 degrees! Labor Day weekend was a great start to kickoff Fall. I was down in Nashville visiting my in-laws which made it that much more fun watching the first weekend of football down in the heart of SEC nation! Go Gators and War Eagle! We grilled out Saturday night, which is exactly what should happen during football season.And while we were shopping for dinner we found none other than the great seasonal pumpkin beer! That means it really is the beginning of Fall! I love this time of the year. Now that the Fall has arrived it's time to start the Fall baking. And that is exactly what I did yesterday. I made pumpkin bread, while drinking a pumpkin beer. I'll be making something else pumpkin today although I haven't made up my mind as to what it might be...there's just too many good recipes out there. Ahhh, the hard choices that go with Fall...

The first pumpkin flavors of the year

Pumpkin Bread, which I had to try

Daddy-O and Little Man at the Gator Game

Car thermometer down in Nashville - someone forgot to tell it Fall has arrived

2011-09-02T09:13:00.004-04:00

Hubs had been traveling and working until 2 in the morning this week. So we decided that before we part ways yet again this weekend we needed a date pronto. So Hubs got off a bit early last night and we took a walk up to the West Village for dinner at Extra Virgin. I have wanted to try this place for a year now but never got around to it since I would get distracted by all the other restaurants. However, the reviews and recommendations by friends were right! This little spot is most definitely a go to spot for the future. Check out the menu and then get yourself there. But beware, they don't accept reservations so go early and sit outside on the sidewalk.

We also went to the new neighborhood jazz spot after dinner, called Silver Lining and will be going back since it had that cool jazzy vibe (with live music.) I tried taking a pic but it was too dark so you'll just have to go and see for yourself.

Light and Fresh

2011-09-01T04:00:00.000-04:00

I've had a lot of time on my hands since last Thursday when Hubs left and Irene came. (Hubs finally was able to make it back to the city yesterday) So during the stormy weekend I decided to make up a "light" recipe since it was just for my liking. It is quite Summery and fresh. Whole Foods was having a sale on wild bay scallops so I picked up 1/2 a pound. I also picked up a tomato at the farmer market earlier that day. Then I already had spinach, linguine, and garlic at home. I combined all those ingredients plus some seasonings and got this pretty little dish...

Here is how it really goes:

Take above ingredients plus olive oil (you can add some butter as well) salt, pepper, and basil. Saute minced garlic in oil/butter in a skillet while cooking pasta. Wash and dry scallops and season generously. Add scallops and tomato to the garlic and cook on both sides approximately 2-3 minutes each. Let simmer for about 8-10 mins. Now add the spinach to the pasta and pour sauce over so the spinach wilts. Again, this is a light meal!!

Overdue

2011-08-30T06:10:00.000-04:00

Since I was stuck inside during Irene's visit to the city and Hubs was out of town I got some much needed work done. Ideally, I would have just laid on the couch watching movies and eating chocolate but I've been a bit behind on Team Jewelry for Fall. Since Football kicks off this weekend and I didn't yet have one piece made I decided I needed to put the movie watching aside. By the way, how is it already the end of August and football is starting? I am super excited about football but just wasn't prepared this year! So here are the new pieces which could be worn everyday or with your cute game day outfit. If you're in a need of a new game day outfit check out my friend's new clothing line she created with her mom... Yours Truly clothing. (They were just featured in Southern Living, for you southern folks)

Heck of a Weekend

2011-08-29T06:47:00.000-04:00

Whew! The weekend is over and Irene dumped some rain down on NYC. But that is basically all little miss priss did while she visited, thankfully. There was some flooding over in Brooklyn and the Westside of Meatpacking but not much else. I'm glad to say that Irene ended up being much less than predicted since Hubs was out of town (and now delayed 2 days getting back home) and we were only 1 block East of being in zone A, which was the evacuated zone. We were in zone B. I walked over to Battery Park City on Saturday during a break in the rain to run an errand for a friend who had to evacuate and it was a ghost town! Normally the park is filled with kids playing and people throwing the frisbee and football or just laying in the grass. Not Saturday, they were all forced to evacuate. All the stores were closed on my walk over there and let me tell you, when the streets of NYC are quiet it's a strange feeling. There were hardly any cabs on the road and I think I only passed 4 other people on my walk. From then on out it was raining off and on until Irene decided she was done with this town and needed to move on to the next. However, by the time she knocked at our door she had lost speed. So by Sunday mid morning people were out purveying the "damage." Thankfully, there really wasn't any. I went out around noon to join in the fun and to my surprise the ground wasn't even wet anymore! The rest of the day was cloudy but the rain had moved on. However, the sunset was beautiful that night! Or maybe I was just happy to finally see the sun again...

Rain, rain, and more rain

Not the prettiest of Saturday evenings

Saturday night - no cars on the road

Deserted road

Caution tape at entrances into Battery Park

Look at the grass - proof that it was windy

Lady Liberty still standing tall

All the boats left the marina

Cops were everywhere and people were already back running along the water in Battery Park City at 12:30 PM

People moving back home. Do you see any puddles???

Beautiful clouds! (pics don't show the pretty array of colors)

Oh Irene!

2011-08-26T06:04:00.000-04:00

What's yall plans this weekend? Hubs left for North Carolina last night for a guys weekend. He was almost down right giddy with excitement when he left for work yesterday morning. I'm so happy for him that he gets to get away from work and just be with the guys and let loose. However, with the possible evacuation pending I wish I had him with me. However, I'm a Florida girl and have done this many of times during my lifetime. I already have my bottled water, just in case...

Here's what was on my door from our management in the apartment building. They're always looking out for us!

I hope you all stay safe and dry!

Womanly Art

2011-08-24T22:07:00.006-04:00

Remember back in February when I told you I was starting to teach an art class at the Bowery Mission Women's Center? Well, I've been teaching weekly and I look forward to it every week because of these women. I finally took some pics yesterday of a few of the women and their art work.

She worked on this for 2 months and says she's going to hang it in her kitchen once she graduates so she knows where she came from.

This is a picture of what was fashionable for women where she grew up.

I wish I had the finished pic because it was great!

She grew up around NYC and has wonderful stories each week from what NYC used to be like

Summer Nights

2011-08-23T06:34:00.000-04:00

The weather the past few days has been idyllic. A high in the low 80s. So we've been trying to take full advantage. Last night in true Summer fashion I decided to test out my skills at making Lobster Rolls. Now there is much controversy over how a true Lobster Roll recipe is made. For instance, is it served in a hot dog bun, white bread, or a hoagie roll? Do you add diced up celery or not? Add herbs? So if you're from the New England area and reading this I'm sorry if I botched the recipe. But I would love to hear how you make them! So after making the Lobster Rolls, we headed over across the West Side highway and had a little dinner picnic in the park next to the Hudson River. (this is also a very special treat since Hubs has been working until 1-3AM in the morning the past 3 weeks) Now this is what I call a great Summer night!!

After being cooked for around 8-10 minutes

This little gem came yesterday! Can't wait to peruse through the 700 pages...

Iconic NYC

2011-08-22T06:50:00.000-04:00

A weekend in (iphone) pictures might be more fun than telling you about it today. We did some icon NYC events which you should consider doing if ever in the city...at least once.

Shopping in JCrew at the Time Warner building. Love the color combinations!

Orange and coral!!

Girl brunch at Pastis in Meatpacking while our husbands played golf in Philly - Will be going back here!

Afternoon post sample sale drinks on the rooftop of the Standard (also in meatpacking)

Lounging with the view

Some in the mini pools

Watching the sunset over the Hudson

Hubs and I picnicking in Central Park after church on Sunday

Weekend Wear

2011-08-19T10:42:00.002-04:00

Here's what I want to be wearing this weekend!

Cobalt blue dress to dinner

(Minus the tights) Shopping tomorrow!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Housewives Style

2011-08-18T06:55:00.000-04:00

Since we've signed a two year lease we decided to make this little loft our own. I painted our bedroom this week while Hubs and I painted our huge long wall a few weeks ago. We've rearranged some of our bedroom furniture and I'm trying to put a few finishing touches on the place since the paint renovation extravaganza. So I went out today in search of some fabric to either make some pillows or curtains, etc. I went in a few fun shops but the most fun was Zarin Fabrics. Zarin, as in Jill Zarin from the Real Housewives of NYC. I kept hoping I would hear her NYC accent behind one of the rolls of fabric but I never did. This place was 2 city blocks long and 2 stories. I was honestly a bit overwhelmed. However, I did find some fabric that I might just have to do something with, although I'm unsure of what that might be as of yet. Check out these photos and let me know what you think of the fabric. Too much? Just right? Thoughts on what I should make?

Does this count as seeing Mrs. Jill Zarin at her desk???

Overwhelming

So what do you think? Too housewives or more Bethenny style?

What's for Dinner

2011-08-17T06:46:00.000-04:00

Last week while I was watching my two favorite little boys I needed an easy quick but yummy dinner. I found this Chicken Tostadas recipe and tweaked it a bit. Last night I needed a fast recipe and went back to this yummy now staple.

Ingredients:

Jar of your favorite salsa

Can of Corn

cilantro

1lb of Chicken

Monterey Jack Cheese

Red onion

corn tortillas

salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin (chili powder and cumin are optional)

Avocado optional

Directions:

Season chicken and cook in skillet while cutting up in small pieces. Add onion and corn to cook with chicken. Add cilantro and salsa to mixture. While the mixture is cooking broil your corn tortillas 1-2 mins on each side. Top tortilla with mixture and then finally top with desired amount of cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted, approximately 1 minute. Then eat! (I think tonight we'll have a side of rice to finish it off.)

Bla Bla Blazers!

2011-08-16T06:38:00.000-04:00

Now don't get me wrong, I'm loving Summer and definitely can't believe that it's already the second week of August. However, I'm so excited about the new Fall fashions hitting the stores. I love everything about Zara this season but I'm especially excited about all those blazers. I wore mine last year so often that it is not wearable this season. Now I'm just going to have to try and pick which one I'm going to wear out this season. (Although, come September you'll be able to shop online. For those of you like me who always chicken out on buying in the store and then when you go back the item is inevitably gone.)

Rural to Urban

2011-08-15T06:57:00.000-04:00

I'm back! I took my ipad with me instead of my computer and I found out that I don't know how to work ipads very well. I couldn't figure out how to blog on that thing. So I was forced to take a week off. There's now so much to blog about from Indiana and Florida that I don't know where to start. So I think I'll just post some pics today instead of trying to write how much fun we all had together. Although, I will say that I love Indiana!!

Hello Indy!

2011-08-03T06:54:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm off yet again for another week of traveling! However, this time I'm going to Indiana to see my dad's side of the family. Indiana is so much different than the places I'm used to and I love it. I love the smell, the people, the grass, farm land, pace of life, basically everything! I especially love it when we all get together as a family. The family has definitely grown over the years with half of the cousins getting married and having kids, although Sis is the only one with children. It makes it that much more fun! I'll be in Indianapolis through the weekend and then I'll be heading down to Orlando for the week. I can't wait for the next few days! See you from Florida...

Some of the pics I took out of the plane window on my last trip...

I flew through some storms

but ended with a beautiful sunset!

Therapie Shopping

2011-08-02T06:37:00.000-04:00

For all of you who did not see it on Facebook yesterday, Spencer Morgan Designs is now in a fabulous boutique down in Jacksonville, FL! Therapie carries great lines like Ella Moss, Splendid, French Connection, and BB Dakota just to name a few. I love this boutique and am so happy to now have some of the collection in the store. So if you live in Jacksonville, are visiting Jacksonville or know of someone who lives in Jacksonville tell them to scoot on in Therapie and check it out! Let me know what you think.

Also, the new pieces are up on the website!

Too Fast

2011-08-01T06:52:00.000-04:00

Whew! This past weekend went by fast. However, its back to real life which means I'm in the throes of designing and making some new jewels. I have a few trunk shows coming up and need to be prepared. Here's a sneak peak of some of the new necklaces. They'll be up on the website by the end of the day!

This is actually garnet and blue even though it looks black in this photo

White & Church

2011-07-29T06:57:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's already Friday! This week has flown. One possible reason was a fun mid-week girl's night out. We went to a place here in Tribeca called, White & Church...and it just so happens to be on the corner of White and Church St. (However, I still seemed to walk right past it.) Everything about this restaurant seems like a fun hip restaurant until you start looking over the drink menu. I know the pic is blurry bu try to make out what the drinks are made from. BUGS and other types of BUGS. They have three pages of unique drinks which is exactly why we picked this place for our girl's night! Bugs and all. I mean, what fun is there if you never take chances, right?! (This is one of the reasons I love NYC) Go ahead, live on the edge this weekend... :)

(By the way, the food there is also wonderful and small plates to share)

Those are worms on the top of the drink

Meatless Meal

2011-07-28T06:22:00.000-04:00

I'm back after our anniversary celebrations (thank you for all the sweet comments) with a meatless recipe. Don't be too quick to judge. This one is good!

I'm known for trying to sneak meatless recipes passed Hubs (a meat lover) and only half have actually pasted. However, this one passed and we're now having it for the second time this week! So I figured it was worth passing along. It's a Grilled Portobello Quesadilla! The Portobelllo mushroom has a meaty flavor and is also filling so you or the man in your life won't walk away feeling hungry. Here it is...

Ingredients:

4 Portobello mushrooms

1 tbls oil

salt/pepper

8 8inch tortilla

red onion

spinach

2 cups of your choice of cheese

Directions:

Heat the oil over medium in pan. Brush mushrooms with oil and season with salt/pepper. Grill mushrooms and onions, covered (since we don't have a grill this works great stove-top) 8-10 mins each side. Thinly slice. Lightly brush 1 side of tortilla with oil and form sandwich with all the ingredients, covering with other tortilla. Grill covered, until cheese is melted and tortilla is crispy, 1-3 mins per side.

Corn salsa:

can of corn

red onion

avocado

salsa

Mix all together and place on top of quesadilla! (if you want to get fancy then saute the corn)

Time Flies

2011-07-26T06:45:00.000-04:00

It's been 3 years since I married my best friend! It was one of the best decisions I've ever made! Happy Anniversary to the most incredible man. We've had some fun over the past 5 years of being a couple...

Dancing in Cape Cod outside while the sun goes down is what I like to think of us

HOT HOT HEAT

2011-07-22T08:14:00.006-04:00

The high today is going to be 100 degrees with a heat index of 115! This is when I'm glad to be working from home and not running around the city. Although, all I want to be doing today is this...

Williamsburg - part of the borough

2011-07-21T06:40:00.000-04:00

Two weekends ago Hubs and I did a little Brooklyn tour. We started in Williamsburg and walked our way down to Dumbo, which is right across the bridge from our place. We love Brooklyn. There's a lot to love. Quaintness, hipsters, laid back vibe, boutiques, restaurants, beir gartens, city views, flea markets, and that's just to name a few. So with that said, if you're looking for something to do this weekend (I know it's Thursday but I'm ready for the weekend) then you should head over to Brooklyn!

Check out the hipster-ness

We ate out back which is outside at Dumont - one of the best sandwiches I've tasted!

The outside back garden was pretty great, and shaded

But in case it got hot they gave us fans AND of course homemade donut holes which make everything better

We then walked around and landed at this lovely beir garten named Radegast Hall. It had such a low key vibe with inside and outside open room. We'll be going back here as well!

The open inside space - very welcoming

The outside beir garten

We then moved on to relaxing in the park and check out the amazing city views (people were also grilling out here which made Hubs want to move immediately over to Brooklyn)

Pretty amazing!

Right next door is Smorgasboard Brooklyn Flea with any and every kind of food you would want to try, with a view. (They do shut down around 4:30 so go early.)

We decided it was time to head back down and walk off some of that good Williamsburg food. Maybe DUMBO Brooklyn will be next...

Chops

2011-07-20T06:52:00.000-04:00

This does not compare to a clambake, however it is quite tasty! Last night we had Golden Pork Chops. Sis got the recipe from one of our friends while I was down in Florida but I left before dinner that night so I've been thinking about it ever since. It lived up to everything I thought it would. So here is the easy recipe... Thanks Sis!

Ingredients:

1 can condensed golden mushroom soup

2 cups of sliced mushrooms

1 chopped onion

1 chopped green bell pepper

4 pork chops

Rice

(splash of milk)

Saute onions, pepper, mushrooms - season with salt, pepper and garlic

Brown pork chops while chopping the above

After sauteing, mix in golden soup and a splash of milk and pour over pork chops

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. (If not done-take out, uncover and for another 15 minutes.) While pork chops are cooking, cook rice.

Serve over rice, eat, and enjoy!

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

2011-07-19T06:32:00.000-04:00

It took me forever to go through all the pictures from this past weekend in Harwich Port - Cape Cod. Going through them also made me want to go back, or at least visit another town on the Cape.

We all rented a house across from the beach with a huge yard. (Yards are something you appreciate much more once you've lived in NYC.) The house didn't have AC, only heat which ended up being fantastic. We slept with all the windows open and woke up to birds chirping, NOT honking horns or car alarms. Again, something you really appreciate once you live in the city. We spent our days on the beach, visiting local restaurants for Lobster Rolls, grilling out, drinking wine, having a clam bake, playing games, charades, talking, getting local ice cream, and eating blueberry pies. Not too bad for a quick weekend getaway!

The beaches were narrow, private and quiet. The weather was perfect. And the food was fantastic. One of the highlights was the clam bake we had catered on Saturday night by Swan River. By the way, it is not a lobster bake like we called it, even though each person gets their own lobster. Later that night some of us had a craving for the local ice cream shop named, Schoolhouse Ice Cream we kept passing. And yet again, A+. Another recommendation would be a waterfront restaurant called, Brax Landing. It was directly across the little harbor on the side of our house and had some great views and Lobster Rolls. We went again for brunch on our way out of town and I have to say this could be skipped. It's a buffet, but nothing special.

I'm already planning our next weekend trip!

Side yard Clmabake!

Relaxing in the side yard

Food in the Cape

There were some beautiful sunsets

Off to the beach - See ya later!

The Cape

2011-07-18T07:06:00.000-04:00

Here are a few teaser pics from our weekend in Cape Cod. I'm too busy and tired to do a real post on all the fun had at the Cape. So until tomorrow...

New Beauties

2011-07-14T09:23:00.005-04:00

We're off to Cape Cod today with some friends. We've rented a house across from the beach and having a clam bake catered on Saturday night! I can't wait to get there. I think I'll be adorning these new beauties at night while grilling out next to the backyard pool...although I will not be the one grilling. I'll leave that to the Hubs, the Master.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!