The Jacket that Saved the Day

So this is what happened.. I bought a dark blue fake fur jacket from Zara a while back but never ended up wearing it because I felt that it made me look fat. So I threw it in a bag in the back of my car with the intention of returning it. It traveled in the trunk for a few weeks, half forgotten, and I felt a twinge of guilt every time I opened the trunk. And then on Saturday, at the egg hunt, the jacket saved the day. My oldest daughter had dressed herself very lightly and was surely going to catch pneumonia if it wasn't for the jacket that just happened to be in the trunk.

I'm still trying to convince her to keep the jacket. I think it looks great on her! 

I was wearing my old favorite, the white Michael Kors poncho, gray NYDJ jeans, and of course my new favorite bag! 

Hey you, sneaking in the background!  Get out of my outfit photo shoot! 

Easter Weekend (Sunday)

Easter Sunday began with a family breakfast, gifts from the Easter Bunny, and then the traditional egg hunt in the back yard. 

 

Hubby and I went for a hike while the dinner was in the oven and came back with a major appetite. 

Easter dinner was a four course meal: stuffed mushrooms for first appetizer, cloud bread for second course, for the main course we had a roast leg of lamb, with risotto, asparagus and butternut squash, and dessert was my daughters award winning lemon bars. 

Easter Weekend (Saturday)

I like Easter; it doesn't have the pressure of Christmas, and usually the weather is mild in the early spring. We spent a lot of time outdoors this Easter enjoying the crisp fresh air and the beautiful Long Island nature.

On Saturday we went to an egg hunt event at the Caumsett State Park. 

After the egg hunt, we went for a walk at the nearby Target Rock state park, and enjoyed a brief cold moment at the beach. It was too windy to stay for very long.

This one found a skull shaped rock

The new bag in action

My new Mansur Gavriel bag has got quite a bit of action, even though I haven't used it for work. I didn't think of it when I bought it, but it's really open, inviting really to reach in and grab something. So not ideal for a jam packed morning commute in the subway. But it has become a weekend favorite, fitting my green tea and water bottle needs, along with snacks, etc. (Yes, I'm mostly concerned about food and drink and have a habit of carrying them around at all times!) This was me last weekend, running around..errands, school, party, lunch at friends, etc... BTW, the fringe vest peaking from under my Armani jacket is from H&M and cost $14.95 on sale. I mention it, because Alice and Olivia are selling THE exact same vest for $598 at Saks. Am I smart with my money or what?? 

The Age Limit on Clothes

I ran into this great short video via a blogger that I follow Go 4 it vol. 2. (For full disclosure, it is a department store ad, but don't let that keep you from watching.) This was perfect because lately I've been thinking about clothes and age, and what is appropriate and so on. It's not something that I ever really thought about before turning 40, but since then it's been this nagging annoying thought that doesn't leave me alone. And most recently it's been on my mind even more because of the bomber jacket.







So there. Now "go and annoy someone else". I'm going to wear whatever the heck I feel like wearing! 

More Signs of Spring

It is so lovely to see the first crocuses coming up in the spring. These were planted by me and the kids last fall.
Every year I am as excited and amazed to see the little suckers growing.

Signs of Spring

Talvi on historiaa! At least here in New York we've had a lovely taste of spring last week. I took my heavy coats and winter boots to the attic storage, and started thinking in more spring-like outfits. I found this white lace blouse from H&M right on time. I paired it with my boot cut dark blue jeans for a dinner last night, with blue J Crew heels. Next on the shopping list is big white earrings, and maybe a white clutch for the summer. 

Foodspiration

Every now and then you have to get out of your recipe rut. I've been in a rut for some time; cooking the same things over and over...mostly good, healthy things, but sometimes a girl needs to try something new. So I googled "the best cook book of all time" and got the Epicurious list of 10 best cook books ever. On the list was Joy of Cooking, which I own, but it's not a very inspiring book, it has no pretty pictures to whet one's appetite. The second book on the list was Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which just seems plain scary. The third was Baking. Scratch that. The fourth book was the taste of Country Cooking, but I found no inspiration there either. However, the fifth book caught my eye with its beautiful cover. Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty. I've heard about this book, most people interested in cooking probably have, since it's been featured on every other magazine and blog, and has been a best selling book. Anyway, I decided to give it a try without making the ultimate commitment, i.e., borrow it from the library. Plenty is a beautiful book, and it's all vegetarian recipes. I've had a couple of days to leaf through it now and I marked a few recipes to try. Some of the recipes seem quite complicated, and the ingredient lists are long and full of ingredients that a)I've never heard of, and b)would have no idea where to buy from. I mean, where do you get quail eggs? But some recipes look easy enough for someone like me who likes to cook, but likes to do it "quick and dirty" (tykkään säveltää ja soveltaa oman maun mukaan, ja sen mukaan mitä kaapista löytyy, jos ei vaikka juuri sillä hetkellä satu olemaan niitä viiriäisen munia jääkaapissa...)

Isn't it a beautiful book? 

The first recipe that I decided to try was the Shakshuka. Never mind that I didn't have cumin seeds, muscavado sugar, thyme sprigs, or saffron threads... enter coriander powder, brown sugar, and some sage powder instead. 

I don't have the individual little frying pans either. So another adjustment was needed -- make the shakshuka in a big pan. 

But no worries...my big pan was big enough for the whole family. 

It looks really pretty when it's cooking. All those beautiful colors! 

A couple of observations: the vegetable base with the onions, peppers, and tomato, with spices and the brown sugar, was super delicious. It could be a base for anything; chicken, some chorizo, beans, even burgers. I will definitely use my adjusted recipe to make it again. 

The final meal was quite delicious. I would like to know if the cumin seeds, thyme and saffron would much enhance the taste, so I may need to get them to try this again. Shakshuka was not difficult to make, and it's pretty healthy and wholesome. 

I made the shakshuka for lunch today, but this would really be perfect for a brunch. 

NYC

I've had a love affair with New York City since 1991 when I first came here, and got my neck stiff looking up at the big buildings. It's not an easy place to live; it's expensive, dirty, noisy, rude, crazy, busy and extremely competitive, but there's an energy that makes up for all that. However, there's a time for everything, and right now I'm really happy living on Long Island as long as I get my City fix every now and then...

The Bigelow Pharmacy is a favorite! 

I used to be afraid of driving in the City. But since I'm "bridge and tunnel people", I've got to do it. I still avoid it though, if I can, since parking is a horror story.  

The Second Time Around

There is a fashion rule that says you should not partake in a trend when it comes around the second time... And even though I'm not a big believer in the "fashion rules" (itse asiassa vihaan niitä), I have to admit that I did think long and hard whether I was a) too old to wear tie dye and b) too old to wear a bomber jacket (not one of those Gucci'ish high end flowery silky fabric bomber jackets, but the real olive green kind bomber). 

A few weeks ago I mentioned to my husband that the bomber jackets were in fashion again, and that I kind of fancied to get one. We have some history with the bomber... When I saw him for the first time (at the legendary Limelight night club in New York City in the 90's) he was wearing an olive green bomber jacket open with no shirt underneath, to better show off the washboard abs he had at the time. Needless to say, I often wore that jacket as well - you know how it is when you're 19 and in love! 

And then one day a couple of weeks ago, he comes home with an olive green bomber jacket (pour moi). Oh, that boyfriend of mine.. he used to buy stuff for me all the time.. It was really sweet to get this jacket, but initially I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull it off (the silly rule was bothering me).

But then the temptation grew too strong, and I got over any scruples about the second time around rule, and decided that I should be able to wear whatever I want and rules be damned. I have to say I've really had fun wearing the bomber! It makes me feel like a teenager all over again. And that's priceless ;-)

Hurry up and take the picture quick, the bus is here! 

Yes, your sister is coming. 

Here she is. 

Not sure what's happening here..

This is to show you how cool I am in the self-made tie dye! Yeah! 

But never cooler than these two! 

So why not kill two birds with one stone? Wear tie dye AND the bomber jacket together. I feel like such a fashion rebel!