It's that time again! The topic of today's luxury is having your sheets laundered and pressed. It sounds kind of ridiculous, but trust us, it's divine.
Your bed is the most important piece of furniture in your bedroom. That's a fact. If you doubt me, sleep on the floor tonight, sans bedding, and let me know how you feel in the morning. Want to know how to make your bed an even more magical place? Have your sheets professionally laundered and ironed.
In order to make this mission a seamless one, you will need to have two sets of sheets. Hopefully, you do...if you don't, go buy a second set. We're not in college anymore. Adults have at least two sets of sheets and none of them should be tshirt material! While it is ideal to change your sheets every week, let's assume you do it every two weeks. This gives you two weeks to bring your flat sheet into your cleaners and pick it up. It is pretty pointless to have your fitted sheet ironed, so don't bother with that one; just do the flat sheet. What's the difference between the two? I have included a glossary of terms at the bottom of this post.
2 tips for taking your sheets in:
1. Always ask for your sheets to be hung on a hanger rather than folded after they are ironed. No point in folding a freshly ironed sheet up. It will just get creased and defeats the purpose.
2. Never pay more than $7 a sheet. That's just crazy. I live on the Westside of Los Angeles and pay $3 a sheet.
Here's a little Bedding 101 for you:
Fitted Sheet: This is the sheet that goes over your mattress and mattress pad. Yes. You must have a mattress pad.
Flat Sheet: This is the sheet that goes over you and the one you should have laundered and ironed.
Comforter: Your big thick blanket that goes over the flat sheet.
Duvet: The quilt or comforter that goes in the duvet cover.
Duvet Cover: The slip that goes over the comforter...hopefully it's pretty!
Pillows are confusing. To save time and confusion, refer to this picture.
Ironed sheets, our tip of the day. Try it and report back. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Everyone these days has guilty pleasure shows. Some keep their love of the Kardashians under wraps (not me). Some people don't admit to much of the Bravo programming they have on their DVR (again, not me). And some will claim they never even heard of a show, only to probably be the shows biggest fan. I own my TV watching, so I don't shy away from saying that I love crappy TV. But, it wasn't always like this.
In my later teen years and early twenties I had three shows that I was obsessed with: Bug Juice, Flash Forward and Ready or Not. I think I shared this love with a few super close friends, but that was it. These shows were amazing, but I was probably too old for them. Most of my shows back then centered around characters that were older than me. Beverly Hills, 90210. Friends. Sex and the City. All of those shows depicted characters that I was supposed to look up to. Yes, Kelly Taylor was a role model! Donna Martin scared me straight out of drinking on prom night. Rachel Green made me think I could live in New York on a waitress' salary and get a job at Bloomingdale's by sending a printed resume through the actual U.S. Postal Service. And how depressing is it that I am now older than the cast of Friends was back then. They were SO OLD to me!
Back to the point at hand. I wasn't supposed to be watching shows about 13 year old's when I was legally allowed to buy cigarettes. Now that I'm all grownsed up, I'm confident enough to share these amazing shows with you. Awesomely enough, you can watch all of these shows via YouTube. You're welcome.
Bug Juice
I never went to sleep away camp. This is one of the greatest regrets I have in my life. I was too much of a pussy to leave my home for more than a night. LAME. My adventurous streak sent me to day camp...all the way in Malibu! Totes far away. Not! I totally just brought back "not".
Enter Bug Juice. I must have been in my late teens when this show premiered on the Disney Channel. I was immediately obsessed. Why was I watching the Disney Channel at 19 years old, I don't know. And sadly, this was way before the days of DVR and even before the days of being able to see what you were watching without having to go to the TV Guide Channel and wait for the scroll to show what was on. I actually made a point to watch this show at a regularly scheduled time.
Bug Juice is the true life adventures of pubescent teens at Camp Waziyatah in Maine. The show centered around a girls cabin and a boys cabin and all the early teen drama that happened. Was Lauren going to pass her swim test? Were Stephanie and Connor going steady? Was camp counselor Luna going to teach them how to make candles? I was glued to the TV!
The best part about Bug Juice though was the theme song. It's really a model for how to live life and I think we should always take time out of our hectic lives to remember the prolific lyrics. After all, bug juice doesn't come in a jar, bug juice comes from who you are. Amen.
Flash Forward
Before he became a respectable actor starring in such works as the INCREDIBLE Six Feet Under and Alpha Dogs, Ben Foster, to me, was Tucker James, best friend of Becca Fisher. He was adorbz. Now, less so, but let's not dwell on that.
Flash Forward was about two best friends, Tucker and Becca, who were in middle school. They each had their respective same sex friends, but it was all about Tucker and Becca. The IMDB page describes the show as being about how the two narrate the ups and downs of middle school while comparing it to moments from when they were little. True.
I'm not sure how old I was at the time, but I remember spending one New Years Eve watching a marathon of this show and I had never been happier. I can't believe I just admitted that. Pound sign: Keepin' It Realz.
Like most Canadian teen shows from the 90's, Ryan Gosling makes an appearance, so you ladies out there make sure to keep an eye out. Also, a creepy TVphile, (aka me), will also notice that Becca's sister is played by the girl who played Cher on the TV version of Clueless.
Ready or Not
I love me some Bug Juice, and I really like me some Flash Forward, but Ready or Not...well, Ready or Not is beyond special in my heart. I can't really articulate it, which is unfortunate for someone trying to write about it, but sometimes words just cannot do your feelings justice.
Ready or Not is about Amanda and Busy, who are of course, best friends. Amanda is the girly one. She loves clothes and boys and writes poetry. She's also Jewish. Score for the Jews. Busy, real name Elizabeth, is the tomboy. She loves to play the drums and skateboard. Amanda is an only child while Busy has three older brothers and comes from a large Italian family.Opposites attract obviously.
This show captures those awkward early teen years so perfectly. Some of my favorite episodes involve Amanda stealing a sweater so she can look like the popular girls. Amanda and Busy throwing a party while parents were out of town and them buying non-alcoholic beer to look cool. Busy's dating life with boys, which made me chuckle because it was so obvious she was a little lesbian. There was even an episode about anorexia! But those don't compare to my favorite episode where BUSY GETS HER PERIOD!
In the episode, Busy is having a tough time. She's really moody. I wonder why? While playing the drums in her orchestra class she complains of having a stomach ache and runs in her white pants to the bathroom. In there she finds two of the popular girls and explains to them that she's bleeding between her legs and must go to the hospital!! No, Busy, you just have your period. Calm down.
The episode is just everything I want in a "my first period" episode. Amanda is jealous that Busy has her period and she doesn't. Busy refers to her period as the curse. Busy's mom is out of town and her dad has to go buy her pads. Upon her return, Busy's mom tells her it's a blessing. It's just such quality TV.
Last Christmas, oops, I mean Hanukkah, I purchased the entire series that someone had recorded and then transferred to DVD. I felt like the transaction was a little sketchy, but it turned out fine. It was amazing revisiting this series. Amanda and Busy grew up so much over the course of the years...and I guess I have also.
Again, this was a Canadian show...so keep your eyes open for a young Ryan Gosling.
ONE last thing. The theme song for this show rivals that of Bug Juice. It's full of life lessons. I'll post it here for you. Again, you're welcome: Ready or not - Can't wait another day - A little in shock What'll your mother say? But here we go anyway Now I'll see what you got Give it your own style Give me a little smile Everything's better now When we go Ready or not. Now, keep in mind this was before Google, so I didn't know what the hell they were saying. "A little in shock" - I thought they were saying A Ritalin Shot? At the time I thought the idea of getting a shot of Ritalin was brillz. I have included the first 10 amazing minutes of Busy's Curse. If you don't take my advice and watch the whole series, at least do yourself a favor and watch this 10 minute clip. Enjoy.
So...that's my little confession. And you want another confession? If these shows premiered this year, at the age I am now, I would still watch them and enjoy them just as much, because I'm shameless and don't care. I watch Downton Abbey. I love The West Wing. I think it's all about balance people. BONUS!!! Someone on YouTube was amazing and made a "Where are they now?" video of the campers and counselors of Bug Juice. These little babies are now lawyers and mothers and fathers and it was such a great YouTube find. It's very reminiscent of the Six Feet Under finale when you find out what happens in the future...but real!!!!!
Welcome to Bundts of Steel's new series called Life's Little Luxuries: Simple Suggestions for Treating Yo Self. Every now and then BoS will bestow upon you a simple tip or suggestion to either make your life, or the lives of your loved ones, a little bit better.
Enjoy!
Volume: 1, Issue: We have a million
Warmed Plates
There's this episode of Gilmore Girls where Lorelai and Luke have just started dating. They are in his diner and he brings her and Rory their breakfast. Setting the food down, he proclaims, "Hot plates!" to which Lorelai turns to Rory and says, "See?? He called me hot plates. He sooooooo likes me."
Why am I talking about this? Well, to start, it's so I can complain about how awful Luke is. He's just the worst and the fact that he and Lorelai ended up together rather than Lorelai and Christopher ruins Gilmore Girls for me- which is why it will always be my number two favorite show.
The other reason I bring this up is to highlight our first LLL tip: Warmed/Hot Plates. It's sort of a no-brainer once you think about it. Restaurants bring you hot food on hot plates so that the food stays warm longer. If you put hot creamed spinach on a cold plate, your hot creamed spinach turns to lukewarm creamed spinach in no time. While completely edible and probably delicious, it would have been better on a warmed plate.
This is such a simple task that takes no effort and minimal time. If your oven was already on while you were cooking and now off, simply put your plates in and close the door until you are ready to plate. If you didn't use your oven, set it to warm and put the plates in. Again, this isn't rocket science and takes less than five minutes achieve a lovely and luxurious warm plate.
The guests at your dinner party will be impressed and your normal Wednesday night meatloaf will taste just that much better.
Seems strange in Southern California today with our sunny skies to imagine that our friends and family on the East Coast have just suffered such tragedy. Seeing so many pictures of power outages, severe flooding, and knowing our loved ones haven't even realized the worst of the damage to come is pretty devastating. Today is a time out.
Flooded subways
If you have a few extra bucks to spare, take a minute to donate online with the Red Cross, or you can donate $10 by texting REDROSS to 90999.
Stay safe East Coasters, our thoughts are with you!
I've had my share of manicures and pedicures that run the gamut from the cheap nail place on the corner to high end spas on vacation. It's one of my favorites indulgences to partake. I love a massage even more, but that I'm stingier on treating myself to. Hint hint, facials too! I've had only a handful of nail treatments that stand out in my mind as "excellent" and ladies and germs, I have another one to add to this exclusive list of top notch pampering indulgences. It should come as no surprise that Burke Williams would treat a girl right from her head to her toes and while I had previously been treated to the delight that is their massage experience, I finally discovered what lies in the secret pedicure room and now I'm left daydreaming for more! Clearly I don't have pictures of this as that would impede on my priority of relaxation and melting into the chair, but I can paint a picture for you of what makes the Burke Williams Pedicure so outstanding and special!
1- A three person pedicure room. Ladies, and well healed gentlemen, you know it's not relaxing when you walk into a nail salon with 30 stations. Imagine the privacy of only two other people. It's soothing and lovely. Simply lovely.
2- When you sit down you are given this soft cloth full of warm oats to drape over your neck and just when you thought that felt oh so delicious they drape another larger towel sized one over your body so your lady bits don't poke out of your spa robe.
3- The spa foot tub. This is not an ugly plastic one, oh no, it's iridescent and glass and shiny- again, it's lovely. A little dates as it may be, but it's lovely none the less! The water temperature is perfect.
4- Sophia. That was my girl and she was an angel sent to Burke Williams from heaven to gently care for my soles. She had the softest touch, even with a file and callus remover(not that I need that!) that usually causes me a slight cringe- not in Sophia's hands. Her foot massage melted away my stress which as of late has been piling up.
5- Paraffin. MMMMHHHMMM. I love a little trip into the paraffin dip. Hot, a little too hot, but not painful. Paraffin= softness.
6- Nail polish trays. Sophia kindly asked me my preference in color and then brought over trays of color that might meet my standards and I selected OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark as we are no stranger to one another. Her polish application was also impeccable. Thank you Sophia!
7- Good magazines. Harpers Bazaar and House Beautiful.
This was a gift certificate from friends for my birthday and I have to say- boys, you done good! This was a real treat and I have to say with the pedicure being $50, it's not out of the question to make a repeat visit. Ladies- who's with me??
Jews don’t really have godparents in the traditional sense. I had three godparents growing up and their roles were based on me referring to them as my godparents and them buying me awesome gifts rather them having the conventional Christian role of making sure my spiritual self was brought up in the church. I think Jewish godparents, at least for reform Ashkenazi Jews, just happen to be your parents closest peeps and they love you a little more than your parents’ other peeps.
My godparents, Marybeth, Shelley, and Barry are a perfect trifecta of awesomeness. Marybeth is my free-spirited godparent. She’s usual sans bra and told me when I was 14 that she wouldn’t ever smoke pot with me…until I turned 18 that is (fyi, this never happened). Shelley is my stylish godparent. She rocks Hermes scarves on her purses and wears Tod’s driving loafers. She’s also an artist who would buy me amazing gifts like Madame Alexander dolls and sign me up and pay for writing classes when I was in high school. She also bestowed to me her mother’s kugel recipe which garners me many an accolade to this day. My godfather, Barry, is an interior designer who taught me important life lessons like how you should refer to a couch as a sofa, odds work better than evens, and that the color red is actually a neutral.
I’ve learned many a life lesson from these valuable people in my life and I love them so much. But, what if I had a whole crew? And, what if I could pick them? That would be awesome. The following is my list of people who I want to recruit to godparent me. Sort of like the Avengers, godparent style. I haven’t seen that movie, but if it’s about what I presume it’s about, I think that’s a good comparison.
INA GARTEN
Could you even imagine if Ina Garten was your godparent? In my dreams, she’s taping a show and telling the tv audience that her goddaughter is coming to stay for the weekend. She’ll mention our special relationship, about how “uncle” Jeffrey is going to threaten to call the fun police on us because we always have such a fab time and then talk about what she’s going to make me that weekend. I think in my perfect Ina world, baked eggs provincial in the morning with scones, a lunch of her Sagaponack corn chowder with lobster rolls and for dinner, some amazing stew and dessert.
The camera will cut away to her preparing for my stay, mentioning that if you’re going to have guests, make sure you only invite the really special people in your life. She’ll set up a freshly laundered robe in the guest bathroom, lay out a new toothpaste and toothbrush in case I forgot mine and fluff the pillows on the guest room bed. Then she’ll wander around her garden, cut stem upon stem of her amazing hydrangeas and make an amazing bed side table arrangement.
When I walk in, on camera of course, I’ll put down my luggage so we can embrace. I’ve missed my godmother Ina. She’ll cheers me with Bellini’s made from fresh peach juice and the show will conclude with a shot of us sitting on Adirondack chairs toasting to the amazing weekend we have ahead of us.
I go to this godparent for: Cooking lessons, effortless entertaining tips and when I need a weekend in the Hamptons.
CORTNEY NOVOGRATZ
Does it get any cooler than Cortney Novogratz? In this fantasy I’m 15 years younger. Oldest Novogratz son Wolfgang and I are best friends, Bob and Cortney are like my second parents and I’m constantly over at their amazing home in the West Village. I call Cortney “Coco” because when I was little Cortney was too hard for me to pronounce. Sometimes I will come over and watch Coco sort through and pick fabrics and wallpapers and she’ll ask for my opinion.
The best times that we have together is when we wake up at the break of dawn on Sundays and drive to various flea markets in Brooklyn and little towns in Connecticut. Maybe we’ll go to Stars Hollow and pick through the goods at Mrs. Kim’s shop. Not sure if we’ll have enough time though.
Coco always encourages me to be myself and follow my instincts. As the Novogratzes say, in design, there are no rules and she has made me feel the same way about the use of my imagination and creativity.
I go to this godparent for: Funky design ideas, hugs, and when I need help getting an internship at Saatchi and Saatchi or some amazing design magazine.
Because we just can't get enough Cortney- watch her give paint color advice to BoS's own, Desiree! Who wouldn't want a godmother like this?!
KELLY CUTRONE
Kelly Cutrone scares me. Even if she was my godmother and I had known her since I was a baby, she would still scare me. I like this though. She would be my no-nonsense godmother. She’d cut through my bs’ing. I would call her whining because a boy didn’t like me and she would tell me suck it up because it’s f’ing Fashion Week!
I would stop by the offices of People’s Revolution and upon seeing me, she would take the headband I put a lot of thought into that morning off of my head, throw it on the floor and shake her head no. I would be a better person for it and I would also look better for it.
Again, Kelly wouldn’t take my crap. She’s not Ina or Cortney who would, respectably, bake me muffins or buy me an Ann Carrington piece of art to make me feel better. Kelly doesn’t have time for that. You know what she thinks would make me feel better, hours upon hours of hard work. Then, maybe if I’m really worthy, she would take me out to dinner where she would call the hot guy at another table over, tell him how amazing I am and he would hand over the digits.
Fact: The first time she uttered the phrase “If you have to cry, go outside” was to me on my 7th birthday when my cupcake fell on the kitchen floor.
I go to this godparent for: Cut-throat mentoring, fashion advice and front row seats to the Marc Jacobs show.
JONATHAN ADLER & SIMON DOONAN
In the world where Jonathan and Simon are my fairy godfathers, I spend most Sundays at their apartment in New York playing ping pong. Jonathan even had a custom ping pong paddle cozy crocheted for me with my initials on it.
When ping pong time is done, Jonathan and I head to the pottery room where I work the wheel with grace and efficiency. Godfather Jonathan taught me how to work with clay when I was a child. We laugh when my bowl turns out lopsided, but, with a wink, he insists that it’s supposed to look like that and I feel much better.
For Simon’s birthday every year Jonathan and I go to a special shop that creates custom fabrics. We play with different styles, designs and colors before finally settling on a design we’re both excited about and send it off to Liberty of London to have the shirt made. On a tag on the inside, there’s a secret message to my godfather telling him that I love him and always will. I can’t say the same thing for their dog, Liberace, because that dog has hated me since day one. Is he jealous of their love for me? I think so.
I go to these godparents for: Lazy Sunday brunches, ping pong tournaments and discounts at Barneys.
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There are many more people I could add to this fantasy list. Oprah, for one, comes to mind. But, that list is just that, fantasy. And to be honest, I’m quite pleased with the reality I have.
As much as I want to be fancy and like fancy food and think one chefs foam is better than another chefs foam, I'm not. I keep it real. I admit to people that I haven't a slightest idea what a Veloute really is and still feel like I don't pronounce Charcuterie correctly. Whatever though. I'll try anything once (mostly), and if it tastes good, I'll eat it. I'm very fed up with these high brow restaurants serving these small, nothing of content, plates. I'm a meat and potatoes girl. If I'm going to pay a crazy amount of money for a meal, I want to leave feeling like I actually ate something. After my experience at Suzanne Tracht's Jar, I can say with complete lack of any food reviewing experience, that this was one of the best meals I have had in a very long time. My friend and I split a Gilt City offer, which if they have again, I suggest you scoop up. $115 got us each a cocktail, a choice of soup or salad (not to be confused with a Super Salad, which is what I thought they were saying for years when I was a child), a main course and a dessert. Through the special, we only had a small pick of what we could order as opposed to anything on the menu, but lucky for me, what they were offering is exactly what I would have ordered anyway. Let's start with the cocktails. I'm not a big drinker. Actually, I don't really drink at all. Alcohol tastes like...well alcohol. It's abrasive to me. It also turns my face beet red and makes my chest feel like it's caving in on itself, but every now and then, I try it again in hopes that my body doesn't reject it. The two choices we were given didn't appeal to me or my friend. Batting our eyelashes, we asked if substitutions were allowed. They weren't, but the server was so awesome, he gave us full reign of the cocktail menu. Friend ordered vodka on the rocks. The thought makes me queasy. I asked our amazing server what tastes the least like alcohol. He didn't really have an answer, but I decided on their Bug Juice. A-MAZE-BALLS. I could seriously become an alcoholic if these were made readily available to me. Bug Juice: hangar one raspberry vodka, lychee juice, pomegranate juice and fresh lime
I just met you, and this is crazy, but you're delicious. So, call me, maybe?
Next up was a squash soup. Unfortunately I'm not a real food blogger, so I don't remember what specific type of squash it was and then I ate it forgetting I was supposed to take a photograph. Whoopsie. But, don't worry, my friend took a picture of it so I just stole it from her Instagram.
Warm, dark, and delicious
It was a dark squash and had what I think were fried shallots on top. It was so delicious and so perfect for a fall evening...even though it was probably 80 degrees at 8 at night. Big ups to the soup. Finally, we got to my favorite part of the meal, the main dish. Without even considering the other option, which I think was a fish dish, I got the pot roast. There is something so All-American about pot roast. It's just so wholesome. I wanted to eat this pot roast while baking an apple pie and voting.
I love you pot roast. You're my bestest friend evers.
Not on our prix fixe, but we went for it anyway were 3 side dishes: Asparagus, purple yams with crème fraîche and chives and, of course, french fries! The fries were really, really good. I'm a bit of a fry expert and these get my blessing. The asparagus was...well it was just asparagus. And finally, the purple yams. It was tasty, but didn't blow my mind. I would go for the creamed spinach or creamed corn next time.
Roasted apple bread pudding, I like you, just the way you are.
Needless to say I left feeling slightly sick, but in a good way. Feeling sick after eating McDonald's = not in a good way. Feeling sick after eating an incredible meal worth it's price = a good way.
I love Jar. I think it was an incredible meal. I know Gilt offers deals there a lot, so take advantage. You will not be disappointed. FACT!
Also, sorry about the crap photography. I didn't want to be THAT PERSON and turn the flash on. Those people piss me off. They also then post that picture on Facebook to make other's jealous. That's not very nice of them.
I've never been apple picking, but it's been on my to do list for some time. I have major jealousy toward my East Coast friends who are partaking in what I have only read about- apple cider donuts. I love apple cider and who doesn't love a fresh donut?! My Facebook feeds indicate that pumpkin patches are also in their peak season and many of your children are taking very cute photos propped up on over sized pumpkins (you know who you are little cuties!) and now I'm craving pumpkin pie! Ah, indeed Fall is here and along with it has come an extremely busy and hectic pace that has kept me rather preoccupied. I'd like to track down an apple cider donut (if any of you in LA find one, please don't keep the secret to yourself) and reacquaint myself with my daily posting schedule- here's to hoping anyway!
Friend Crush: Experiencing a strong desire to become friends with a person you don't know very well. Often times, people experiencing friend crushes will exhibit nervousness, giddiness, idolatry, admiration, and clumsiness similar to those emotions experienced when being around a regular crush.
It was the Fall of 2010. The weather was cooling down, pumpkin lattes were back at Starbucks and I was a few weeks into my new job. At the end of the day, I entered the elevator, one of six that happen to be the slowest elevators in the history of elevators. An attractive, petite lady approached the closing doors and instead of pretending to try to keep them open, as I selfishly do sometimes at the end of the day when I'm in no mood, I put the effort in to keep the doors ajar so this nice girl could ride down with me.
I scanned her with my eyes. Adorable outfit, adorable shoes, hair to die for. And her purse, a Marc by Marc Jacobs that I actually had my eye on was hanging gracefully from her forearm. I was flustered. My cheeks were washed over with a tint of red. My heart rate picked up. I mustered the courage to speak.
Me: I...eh...um...really like your bag. Marc Jacobs?
Mystery Girl: Yes, my future mother-in-law got it for me.
Me: Oh, that's a really nice future mother-in-law!
Mystery Girl: I know.
And then as soon as it had started, it was over. The elevator had reached the lobby and we parted ways. I clenched my fist in front of my face. She will be mine, I thought. She will be mine indeed.
That last part didn't really happen. I'm not psychotic, but I did have a bit of a friend crush. I was new, I knew she was new. She had cute shoes and a cute purse. I had a weird feeling we could be friends. Two years later, that petite betch is, I can openly say, one of my besties. And, if you haven't figured it out by my amazing description, that girl is Desiree. Hi Desiree!!! I'm writing on your blog!!!
Why am I telling you this story? Well, it's my introduction to my post, so pay attention. The closest I've come to becoming a lesbian was right after I saw Kissing Jessica Stein. Besides the whole sexy times part, I could totally be a lesbian, but alas, that's just called friendship. And wanting a girl to be your friend, that's called a Friend Crush. I've made my crush turn into reality, but I still have a few fantasy friend crushes that I would like to make happen. Like "The Secret" has taught us, put it out there and maybe it will come.
The following are my top 6 choices for people I have friend crushes on:
Lizzy Olsen
I've got it pretty bad for Lizzy Olsen. So much so that at the end of seeing her newest movie, Liberal Arts, I told my date that I had a "super girl crush" on her. It was our first date. Not sure if it made me come off like a complete crazy, but the toothpaste was out of the tube...it could not be put back in.
Younger sister of MaryKate and Ashley, who I adore, but could never be friends with, Lizzy puts me at ease. Her features are soft and welcoming. Her smile is infectious. She looks super nice. She dresses cute. She is perfect friendship material.
I see me flying to various parts of the world to keep her company while she is shooting. We're not the party type, and she probably has early call times, so our evenings involve ordering room service and renting Pay-Per-View movies in the hotel. For some unexplained reason I imagine us in large, fluffy, terry cloth robes jumping on a plush 5 star hotel bed. See, we're sooooo having a good time together. Besties!
Maude Apatow
So what if she's more than half my age and according to biology and MTV, I could be her mother. This 14 year old is pretty awesome. Granted, she comes from two awesome people and the laws of physics and organic chemistry prove that awesomeness begets awesomeness. But, I think this girl is great on her own. I follow her on Instagram and on the occasion I'm bored, will check her Twitter out, even though I don't tweet myself.
Some awesome Maude quotes:
"Being an awkward teenager is not something you should laugh about because it isn’t funny"
"People really take pride in knowing the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song"
“It was really uncomfortable when I watched Beaches with my best friend and she didn’t cry”
I think we would get along really well. It's perfect that she's only 14; I don't think I've matured much since the age of 15, so we're emotionally and developmentally around the same age. I hated being a teenager, but Maude makes me romanticize those days. I want to be in carpool with her. I want to walk around Century City Mall with her after school on Fridays. I want to call her complaining about our history project. Ahh...to be young and awesome.
Lena Dunham
When I first watched GIRLS, Lena Dunham's show on HBO, I thought it was funny, but was overcome with bitterness and jealousy, so I dubbed it "f'ing annoying". I'll repeat what I said to my friend Laura: "Who the hell is this girl in her mid-twenties to have her own show where she writes, acts, directs and produces? This is just a bunch of rich girls from famous families whining about life. Screw them, I have to go to bed so I can get to my beige cubicle on time." And then Laura said this to me: "Yeah, they are a bunch of rich girls from famous families whining about life, but that's what the show is about, so embrace that." And, I did. And then I sort of become a huge fan.
Although the characters of the show and Lena herself are all in their early/mid twenties, I related...uncomfortably. Lena is damn funny. I think we would be funny together. I would totally sit on the toilet peeing while she took a bath while we talked about something topical. I would make a funny pop culture reference and we would laugh. Then we would go dance to some Robyn.
I see on the Instagram that Lena and Maude are friends and go to Justin Beiber concerts together and have awesome times. I want to go to Justin Beiber concerts and have awesome times. Take me with you!!!
Also, Lena and I share the same birthday. I think this friendship is meant to be.
Khloe Kardashian-Odom Kourtney Kardashian
I get irrationally protective over the Kardashian krew. They make me say things that are out of my normal vernacular a lot, like "haters gonna hate" and "they're just doing them". But, in reality, they are. If you don't like them, for heaven's sake, stop writing in the comment section of the Us Weekly iPhone app about them. You obviously clicked on the article for a reason. And if you hate them so much, don't watch. See, irrationally protective. But, I will watch, because these girls are hilarious.
Khloe is my favorite, I think. We have the best connection personality wise. But Kourtney is what I call stealth funny. Some dub her as the 'boring' sister, but those people are just not paying attention. She's hilarious. So when you get those two together, the only thing that's possible is F-U-N.
I could put up with Scott; I actually find him funny. And I love me some Lam Lam. So, wrap me up in a leopard blanket, put me in one of their 400 Range Rovers and let's get this friendship started. I promise to change the spelling of my name to Karly.
Mindy Kaling
I was never an avid The Office watcher. It's nothing I'm proud to admit since one of my favorite topics is the goings on in offices, but it's just a fact. Yet, I still am in love with Mindy Kaling. It was either 2008 or 2009 when I was introduced to Mindy by way of her blog, Things I've Bought that I Loved. I loved that blog like nobody's business. Then one day, it was gone. Years later I found her again by way of her amazing book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? I read it in one night. I know we are destined to be friends.
Now Mindy has her own show and without even watching the first episode I gave it a season pass on the ol' DVR. I trust her that much.
I feel like if we were friends I would sleep over her house a lot. We would spend late nights watching You've Got Mail and 13 Going On 30. On Sundays we'd wake up and walk to get coffee and plan our day. On our shopping excursions we would stop at super cute stores where I buy things like amazing smelling candles and cute pillows and anything else that was completely frivolous and over-priced. Then, when we get back to her place and go over what we purchased like besties do. M + C = BFF.
Who are your friend crushes??
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I wrote this post on a Thursday. It is Sunday night. This morning, while shopping at Westwood's new City Target, I saw one of these friend crushes in the flesh. I made no attempt to initiate contact because I'm neither a star gawker (lie) nor completely psychotic as previously mentioned. But, it did teach me one thing: The Secret works, y'all. That's pretty creepy, right?
First of all- I need to take a quick moment and say that today is my wonderful husband's 30th birthday- happy birthday my love! Finally, I'm not the older woman anymore, and
Temperatures are FINALLY cooling off here in sunny Los Angeles. I actually felt a chill in the air over the weekend which I happily welcomed. Now that it's officially fall and it's cooling off, it's time to dust off the leopard that has been collecting dust in your closet the past few months. Bring it back out!
A house of seafood? Sounds like a house I want to make a home. The weekend plans took us out to Carson to the Home Depot Center to watch some racing at the velodrome. After watching some cycling, our tummies were a-growling and the in house options weren't looking to tasty. Time to do some research...and hello there House of Seafood, you look like a tasty option. House of Seafood is in a funky off the beaten path strip mall, not too far from Ikea, and beams like a seafood beacon in the night. We were drawn in by the seafood boil and if this was going to be anything close to the level of The Boiling Crab, then we were in for a treat. We kicked off our seafood extravaganza with a plate of oysters, followed by bags of shrimp and crawfish, or maybe you call them crawdads?! Before digging in, the table was lined with a paper table cloth and we suited up with latex gloves and plastic bibs.
Peaking into the depths of the bag o' crawfish
husband looking mighty excited about what is about to happen
getting the gloves on because it's about to get dirty
the damages
Days have gone by and I think I still smell like the excessive garlic from this meal. All in all, this was a pretty tasty meal. Would I do it again? Absolutely!
Lately I've been noticing little foxes pop up everywhere! Foxes are both adorable and can be sophisticated. Tory Burch is spearheading this fox movement and I am in full support. While I don't see myself rushing out to buy a fox stole anytime soon, I may have to bring home one of these fox bracelets!
It's hard to believe that this is the last weekend in September, mainly because it still feels like early August over here. I can't believe it's supposed to be in the high 90's next week...in OCTOBER! Meanwhile for those of you in cooler climates, enjoy the chill. Cuddle up in a sweater, have a hot cup of cider or coffee, and enjoy the changing leaves.
Or make a pumpkin spice latte at home, recipe here
Living in Los Angeles certainly has it's ups and downs. Downs are mostly traffic and expensive rents, but one of the big pros is the variety of restaurants and the really great quality of food we get. I wouldn't say LA is really a BBQ town, but I also wouldn't say that it isn't. Us Angelenos definitely love BBQ, but we aren't a city that is oozing with great BBQ spots. Note to future restauranteurs- consider going into BBQ, there's clearly a shortage. We have been driving by the hole in the wall that is JR's Barbeque for quite some time and finally went for it. I usually only post about my most favorite dining experiences, and in an effort to always be honest with you, I'll just lay it out there the way things are. I wouldn't say this was mind blowing, but it was good and satisfied the craving. I went for a pulled pork sandwich (of course) and it wasn't really hitting the flavors I was hoping for. This was saucy (and who doesn't like saucy?), but it was lacking the vinegar kick I really look for in my BBQ sauces. I'll be the first to say I haven't dug into every BBQ stand in LA, but I would enjoy that experience! Most of the BBQ I've enjoyed comes from the best places- backyard grills and it started with my dad's BBQ when I was young, which still is up there on my list. I'll also throw Baby Blues BBQ in on my list of favorite BBQ spots, especially for it's pulled pork. The food is always fresh and flavorful and I love their XXX BBQ sauce! Back to JR's- the atmosphere is quaint and well, straight forward. The food hits the spot, but I don't know how soon I'll be back. The service however is very friendly.
If you have a favorite BBQ spot nearby, I think you know I want to go. So don't be greedy and keep your secrets to yourself- spill it!
What says Fall in Los Angeles more than 100 degree weather, the Emmys, and the impending scare of Carmeggedon 2? Yup, Chicken Stew. I made some on Sunday and I am here to tell you how it went.
I'm not much of a cook like Desiree. I have a few staples that I make and am amazing at. These include, but are not limited to, kugel, matzo ball soup, beer stew and....that's about it. What I have learned about my cooking skills, as any faux chef should, is that you must go with your strengths and build upon them. My strength is that if I can make it in one pot, then I'm good to go. This usually limits my makings to soups and stews, but I don't hear anyone complaining about that. And any time I can use my Le Creuset Dutch Oven, I'm all over it.
As anyone living in Los Angeles knows, it's been hotter than a mother up in this joint for about a month. I tried my best to lure the Fall Gods to come by purchasing new sweaters from the Gap (still hanging in closet), getting a dark nail color (that has chipped off) and putting on my Fall duvet cover. Did you hear that Fall Gods? I put my Fall duvet cover on!!!! Obviously they didn't hear me because our "cooling trend" still leaves us in the 80 degrees zone. Throw me a bone, Fall Gods!
The calendar says it's Fall, so I'm going to make it Fall! Luckily, I have perfect way to do so by setting the thermostat to 63 degrees, putting on my favorite "I could never leave the house in these, but they're so freakin' comfy" sweats and letting no natural light into my room. Voila! Fall has arrived.
The stew was DELICIOUS! I don't like straying too much from the path on a recipes first attempt, so I didn't add anything except garlic and I chopped my own onion instead of using frozen pearl onions. That was all the straying I could handle. When I make this again, because I will be making this again and again and again, I will add a serious amount of veggies that I find proper (peas!). The possibilities are endless. The recipe thinks that only carrots and celery are necessary, but that's crazy talk. Fact: No one likes cooked celery. The flavor it adds to everything is amazing and that's where it should end. I cut the celery amount in half needless to say. Yeah, I went there Chef Eric Ripert. No one likes braised celery!
Also, this recipe calls for whole breasts. Next time I will cut the chicken up into bites, but will have to adjust my cooking time. That will be interesting because I have no concept as to how to do that.
As suggested, I served this dish with some noodles, but think it would be even better with mashed potatoes. And don't be deceived, while this looks and tastes like a chicken pot pie, it's not as caloric as you would think. I broke out a nifty recipe calorie calculator thingy and for a very large serving of this delicious treat (recipe serves 4), it's only 550 calories! For a stew! Crazy.
I would also like to add that whenever I say I made something with rosemary and lemon I feel fancy. Try using it in a sentence:
Friend: What did you do on Sunday?
Me: Oh, I had my car washed, turned the thermostat to 63, shut out all natural light out of my life, put on my comfy sweats and made Chicken Stew with Lemon and Rosemary.
Friend: Lemon AND Rosemary? You're one fancy betch.
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