Reminders of Summer

Welcome to my front stoop.  This is what it looks like today after MORE snow.  Wait until tomorrow when we get another 10+ inches.  I arrived home the other day to an unexpected package which to my surprise was a photo from last year's Boston Rose Garden Party.

The Boston Parks and Recreation Department, who throws the party every year, was kind enough to send me this framed photo from last June's party in the Fens.  Since my hat won some award or other, the details of which I can't remember, I was in a photo with Boston's mayor Tom Menino.

David Meister dress, Kate Spade shoes, Tiziana handbag, Gabriel Amar for Frank Olive hat

And here's a picture of me and my crazy hat that I wore to the party.  It's a lovely reminder of summer and warmer times to come.

Sunday Supper - Chinese Make-in

I love Chinese food and I've never been great at cooking it myself but with the poor Chinese delivery options in Boston, I thought I'd give it a shot.  So here's my Chinese make-in instead of take-out.

 

I bought some steak and string beans and thought I would have them with rice but remembered that I had a package of Asian noodles on hand.  I marinated strips of steak for about half an hour in a marinade made with soy sauce, white rice vinegar, sesame oil and corn starch.  Then I sauteed some garlic in sesame oil, cooked the steak for a few minutes and added the string beans.  Once the string beans had cooked for a couple of minutes, I added in a sauce made of the same ingredients used for the marinade plus a bit of chicken broth and some scallions.  Let this simmer and thicken for a few minutes.  While this is all cooking, I cooked the noodles for under 5 minutes, drained them and then pan fried them for a couple of minutes.  Then I mixed it all together and there it was.  My substitute for Chinese take out and it was really delicious.

Mix 'n Match

Talbots cardigan, H&M shirt, Banana Republic pants, Cole Haan boots

I've had a pretty low key weekend which started with an easy dinner out with girlfriends on Friday night.  Still needing to stay warm and navigate the ice and snow covered streets and sidewalks, I wore something that enabled me to walk safely but still allowed me to add some whimsy and fun.  I kept it basic with black Banana Republic five pocket leggings but to balance out the basic wore a polka dot shirt from H&M topped with an animal print cardigan from Talbots.  Mixing the prints made me happy.

Other than Friday night's outing, I consoled my winter weary self with some spring retail therapy.  More on that later but for Kate Spade fans, they are having 20% off of full price items on February 1.

Finally as an update to my post on doing my nails a la Alix of the Cherry Blossom Girl, I tried another color combo that I liked.

 
I used Chanel's black pearl with a Essie's Loophole.  It was fun to do something different but I got my nails properly done today and went back to the basics.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Ladies who Lunch

It's Friday thank goodness and for me it was a short one.  I worked less than half a day because I had a luncheon to go to so I spiffed it up a bit.  The lunch was to benefit Dress for Success and was held at the Copley Plaza Hotel.  Dress for Success is a truly wonderful organization and if you don't know anything about them check them out here.  Either way, donate your old clothes and accessories next time you clean out your closet.

Kate Spade dress, Chanel necklace, Prada shoes

I wore a bright yellow Kate Spade dress that I bought on sale last year.  One of my co-workers commented that I looked like I was ready for spring.  I told him that I'm bucking the winter trend which was overheard by someone else as a word that rhymes with buck (yes that too but I kept the language clean)! 

European Replica ring, Louis Vuitton ring

I doubled down on the rings but it didn't last long once I got to work.  It was too difficult to type.  Is it too much together?

Prada shoes

I wore a pair of black patent Prada shoes that came out of the archives of my closet.  Do you remember when Prada was doing these angled heels?  I love the shape of the heel and the chunky chain detail.  It felt good to wear something other than the black and grey that I've been wearing; how you feel on the inside really radiates out.  Even though I was bundled up as always on my walk to work, my ever present personal peanut gallery was out smoking his pipe and hollered "Good morning, Hollywood!  Looking good baby, looking like a million dollars!"  And I felt like a million bucks too.

My Glass is Half Full

Yesterday Boston got yet another 10+ inches of snow and it's hard to stay positive but I'm going to try.  I got myself dressed this morning in one of my spring tops and some red flats in the hopes that would bring my weather induced mood out of the dumps.  Snow and cold be darned!

Milly jacket, Talbots top, Joe's jeans, Roger Vivier flats

I did have to put on my sensible boots for the walk to work but that's OK.  The stairs and sidewalks weren't clear yet but the roads were fine so I walked in the street which I've been known to do regularly.  The streets are always easier to maneuver because there are no crevices from the bricks for heels to get stuck in.  But today for once, I was not alone in my street walking and since misery loves company, I minded the snow an ounce less than I usually would.