America the Beautiful

Since I'm so woefully behind, I'm only now getting to our fourth of July celebration that took place on Jones Beach. We went to the beach with my Finnish guests in the late afternoon, and stayed until dark and the fireworks. It was a beautiful day and evening, and a nice memory for summer 2017. Nice at it was, I'm not planning to repeat next year, because leaving the beach after the fireworks took forever. The traffic was completely jammed, a total chaos with cars inching ahead slowly. Good thing we were all very relaxed from spending the day on the beach. The ride home that normally takes about 25 minutes, took 90 minutes. Regardless, it was all good summer vibes and happy feelings.

This and That

So far it's been a good summer. 

I've done a lot of shopping. Been to the stores a lot more than usual. First with the Finnish friends who visited us and wanted to go to the best local shopping places, and then with my daughter for the confirmation dress (don't even ask how many dresses were bought, returned, tried on, etc). 

The little girls have read every Wimpy Kid book that is out. The books are really funny, and I laugh out when they read me little passages. 

I've tried to take long walks as much as I can, on the days when the heat is not too oppressive. 

I've pretty much said goodbye to red wine. It just gives me a headache.. I do miss it though. This Ravens Wood Zinfandel was out of this world good. 

We've been hanging out in the back yard. So far we had two BBQ parties, and sat down a few more times enjoying the fire pit at night. 

FabFitFun

The curated boxes have been a huge thing for a little while, and I got on the bandwagon this spring with a monthly Birchbox subscription. The box contains around six or seven sample sized beauty and hair products, with the idea to let you try a variety of products so you don't have to buy the full size. For $10 a month, it's worth the little splurge for the fun. I share the samples with my oldest daughter, and it's been exciting to open the box every month. There's been a couple of very nice products that we liked, and ended up buying the full size when the sample is finished. You can order full size products via Birchbox, but I've actually found them elsewhere for cheaper. My daughter loved Marcelle BB cream, and I loved the Supergoop! Sunscreen oil with SPF 50.

So after that experience, I was ready to sign up for a bigger box, the FabFitFun box. It is a seasonal box sent out four times a year and includes beauty, fitness and fashion products. I was looking at FabFitFun for a while, and grabbed a deal when they offered a their summer seasonal box for $39.99. The normal price is $49.99 per box or $179.99 per year. The box came sometime late June, and it really was fab and fun. I loved every product that came with it, with my favorites being the Cargo highlighter, the Michael Stars ruana (shawl), and the 03 soothe and cool massage oil. My daughter loved the BKR water bottle, which is a glass bottle in a silicone sleeve, and the Kris Nations necklace. The box price was actually a steel considering the products that came with it.

Oh, and by the way, the FabFitFun website has a ton of short, good workouts.

Ballet is Like Dreaming on Your Feet

In keeping with my dear diary theme, I usually post events in chronological order, but this time is an exception, because I'm completely behind and messed up my order by not posting about this wonderful day we had at the ballet. The American Ballet Theater performed the Swan Lake at the Metropolitan Opera in May and June, and I had arranged for tickets for a crew of ladies, including a dear friend from Finland, my au pair and her sister visiting from Finland, and of course myself and my three daughters.

We started at the Smith, a bistro across the street from Lincoln Center. It was raining cats and dogs, but we did not let the water sloshing in and out of our sandals or the dampness of our clothes ruin our mood. 

A nice glass of Channing Daughters rose helped. 

As did the delicious food

If you're looking for a quiet place, I would not recommend the Smith. But if you're fine with a high energy and noisy restaurant, then it's definitely a good pre-opera option. 

I love the lobby, especially the sputnik chandeliers at the Met. 

I was wearing my Victoria Beckham for Target top, H&M skinny jeans, golden python skin bag. 

Did I mention that I love the chandeliers. 

At the Metropolitan Opera it's ok to sit up high. The acoustics are actually better up in the family circle, than they are on the orchestra seats. 

I wasn't kidding when I told you I love those chandeliers. They are just too beautiful. I've been drooling after the chandelier earrings that look like these, that you can buy from the Met store, but I haven't splurged yet. 

The only issue sitting up in the family circle is that you have to use binoculars to see any details of the sets, costumes, etc. 

The rain stopped right on time when the ballet was over. 

And we finished the day with some shopping at Sephora. Pretty much a perfect day in my book. 

The Day at the Lake House

One summer highlight for us is the day we spend at an old friend's lake house upstate New York. (Technically the house is in New Jersey, but it's so close to the border that I think of it as upstate. Although, if you actually live upstate NY, you'd be very offended by the characterization. Not to mention that it's insulting for the real upstaters that anyone from the New York City area thinks anything north of Hudson river as upstate. But I digress...) I love the lake house and always enjoy being by the water, and swimming in the lake. There is also a real Finnish sauna!!! And Finnish food!!! And Finnish friends!!! It's as close to being in Finland without having to travel there, i.e. perfection!!! 

10 points to the person who can tell what illegal activity is being set up here!!!