J.Crew stealing my look

What's in for fall, apparently, is "looking like Helen". Who knew I was so on trend, with my messy, almost frizzed low pony, strong brows, and cardigans? Thanks, J.Crew!

Trying to be Environmentally Responsible

When we first moved into our house, there was a big empty trash bin in the back yard.....a perfect compost bin. I read about how you must balance the 'greens' and the 'browns', turn it on a regular basis, give it oxygen and throw some worms in to speed up the process. This garbage would magically transform into a nutrient rich substance that would fuel all of our plant life. After about a year of lovingly working the contents in this garbage can, I came to the realization that it was not working out as I expected. But I was not giving up.

On a trip out to Santa Fe, we went to the farmer's market and there was a whole stand devoted to composting! Perfect, I thought, these were the experts I needed. After about a 30 minute conversation, I was convinced that we needed dump the contents of the trash bin (which had now multiplied to 2 bins----but we don't need to dwell on that) on to the ground, surround it with bales of hay and then add the 200+ worms I purchased from the Santa Fe composters. Now, I was home free! I thought, it could only be a couple months before we are offering up our rich composted materials to all of our favorite gardeners.

I guess each of you noticed, there was never a blanket offer for fresh compost.

I have finally admitted defeat. In the two years since we started this project, I have managed to extract one small bucket of usable compost. One small bucket! And it wasn't even fully composted.....there were clearly egg shells and unidentifiable chunks. I guess persistence is both a curse and a blessing.

Needless to say, I broke down and purchased an automatic, indoor composter. It has been 2 weeks, and it looks like we may have fresh, usable compost in about a week. In three weeks, I will have extracted as much out of my automatic composter, as I did out my two year project.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with the pile of shit in our backyard.

My fashion consultants!

One of my favorite things is my fabulous range of fashion consultants. So, who will help me with a pressing bag dilemma?



I am frequently found in the company of a little slacker, who has tons of stuff she likes to bring places, but refuses to carry a single one of them. She needs a few diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, a changing pad, and a receiving blanket, and occasionally a small toy/teething ring/pacifier.

I also go places by myself. I like to carry my wallet, a small quantity of makeup/lip balm, a tide-to-go stick, a pen, a pack of tissues, and an envirosax.

As you may recall, I have recently been carrying a small foldover clutch with a chain strap, and shoving it in my Vera Bradley diaper bag. Unfortunately, the strap broke. Also, the clutch was just a hair too small, and I frequently had the fold sticking straight up (kind of a pain, since the strap attach was at the crease.) Also, the diaper bag has the same problem I generally have with two-strap bags -- one strap is always falling off my shoulder. (It's ok, though. Stacy gets tons of use out of it.)

So, recently, I got all Mary-ed out, and toting the necessary items in a Whole Foods bag. I know this is not a cool look (no offense, Mary.) Then I switched to my Le Sportsac bird overnight bag, which is ok, but kind of overkill when I'm traveling solo. My previous purse is dead, as the lining shredded, and items now migrate between the cloth and the leather, and the one I was carrying before that (the gold leather one) is a little bulky to get tucked inside another bag.

Help me, Clint and Stacy!

Shout Out to Lameness

Surely there are more people who have favorite things in this family other than Mary, Helen and I. It can be a minor favorite thing (or even something that you just sorta like). But Our Favorite Things is quickly turning into Our Lamest Blog Ever. Speak up! If you don't have something to share then I'm questioning your biological connectedness to this family ;).

Glee Tackles Sex Education

Every week my world is rocked by Glee. The unity of music numbers, hilarity and semi-taboo social topics is the formula that makes Glee the greatest show on tv right now. Last week's episode entitled "Sexy", was on my mind all week and I found myself quoting it on numerous occasions so I thought I'd share it on Our Favorite Things.

Gwyneth Paltrow made her second appearance on the show as a substitute teacher. She is subbing for the Health and Wellness teacher so she's decided to give the Glee Club a dose of sex education. One of her opening line when talking to the teacher who is head of the celibacy club about the practicality of celibacy-based sex education to high school students is, "It's like saying vegetarianism is an option for lions". Now you can't tell me that's not genius!

You don't need to be a regular watcher to enjoy this episode, though I'm certain it would brighten your spirit if you encorporated Glee into your weekly schedule.

Funny baby pictures!

No, they don't all star Nora. Check this lady out.

Spicy Peanut Noodles

You know what I can't get enough of?  Asian food!  And peanuts!  And saving money!  So this recipe combines all three things.  I have been bringing it to work for lunch the last couple of weeks and been very excited for the day to get to around noon time.  How excited you ask?  Well I have also been bringing brownies and in a Sophie's choice situation where I could pick only one, I would choose this over the brownie.

It is a delightful cold noodle pasta salad that is filling, a little spicy, and very delicious.  I found it on the Pioneer Woman, which has many easy, cheap recipes that you should also check out.  She is also really into being a cowboy's wife, which I am not so much, but luckily you can skip past all those parts very easily.

The recipe suggests using a food processor, but if you mince the garlic, you can just whisk the dressing in a bowl.  Throw in some whatever noodle pasta you have lying around and you have lunches for the week.

Recipe: Spicy Peanut Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 20 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 10 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1-½ pound Linguine (or any other noodles)
• 1 bunch Cilantro, Roughly Chopped
• 4 whole Green Onions, Thinly Sliced
• _____
• PEANUT DRESSING:
• 5 cloves Garlic, Peeled
• 1 cup Chunky Peanut Butter
• ¾ cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 4 Tablespoons (to 5 Tablespoons) Red Wine Vinegar
• 6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons (to 4 Tablespoons) Red Chile Oil
• ¼ cups Olive Oil
• ¼ cups Sesame Oil (can Also Use 1/2 Cup Olive Oil)
• 1 Tablespoon (to 2 Tablespoons) Toasted Sesame Oil (sold In The Asian Aisle)

Preparation Instructions

Boil linguine. Drain and set aside. Keep cool or at room temperature.

Make the dressing: in a blender or food processor, add garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, and brown sugar. Pulse until smooth. Add chili oil and pulse again until smooth.

With the food processor on, pour in other oils until mixture is smooth and pourable. Thin with water to get desired consistency if necessary. Chill dressing until ready to use.

To assemble the salad, combine linguine, dressing, cilantro, and green onions. Toss to combine. Add dressing gradually and toss until the noodles are sufficiently coated. Toss with more cilantro for a garnish.

New Year, New Hair

I was commiserating with one of the women I work with about dry, damaged hair and she told me about this new hair product set that she claimed made her hair soft without weighing it down. I listened and half believed her claims. Then she told me she was going to bring some in for me because I would believe it if I tried it.

A few days later she had a set put together for me with shampoo, conditioner and deep conditioner. I went home later that night and gave it a whirl. Much to my surprise, she was absolutely right! The product is made by Redken and called Time Reset.

The proof truly is in the pudding kids. My hair is the softest it has felt in years and it doesn't give me a poofy frizzy mess when I'm finished blow drying it. This can be used for color treated hair too. It cost me $30 at Ulta but it looks like you can order it online for a little cheaper. I got my hair colored about a month ago and I've received tons of compliments on how good my hair looks.

So go ahead, treat yourself to this hair treatment kit. You won't regret it!

Tune of the Day: Roll Away Your Stone

Have you been listening to WXPN? If so, you may have already heard this one. I liked it so much I shazam'ed it at a stop light.

Mumford and Sons - Roll Away Your Stone

30% off sale stuff at J.Crew!

Yeah, it's true. Jane and I have been combing the sale section all night. Getting a dress for $35.

I also realized they sent me a 30% off everything one-time coupon as a cardholder, so if there's something you're eying that's not on sale, talk to me.

World's Best Leggings

Great leggings are hard to come by. We all know more often then not your basic leggings can be very flawed. Some are paper thin so you end up showing your undies to the world if you wear them outside of the confines of your own bedroom. Others are thick enough to keep the booty covered but have super tight elastic bands that can make you look like a muffin fresh out of the oven. Finally, there's the leggings that have enough space in the ankle to fit another ankle if you need it.

I have a pair of leggings that are as close to perfect as I've ever had from Forever21, two winters ago. I often think why didn't I buy these in bulk when I had the chance? That was, until I discovered the World's Best Leggings.

To the naked eye, these just look like a plain pair of black leggings. The beauty of these are that they are thick, have the perfect elastic waistband, and hold the ankle without being too tight or loose. They're called "Moto Ponte" leggings, which I'm pretty sure translates into "Mega Perfect" (that's a rough translation though). Forever21 has a huge variety of leggings right now but buyers beware, don't try to look for leggings at the store unless you wear a small or extra small. Happy shopping!

How Do You Know Trailer

My life is a little mixed up right now, so I could stand to run into the Paul Rudd of my life. This movie is set in DC after all...

How Do You Know Trailer

Mary's New Haircut

Doesn't she look so happy? Eat your heart out, AYS!

Girls in White Dresses with Blue Satin Sashes...

Many thanks to Jane for creating this blog!


I am going to start this blog with a story: The other day, Helen and I went to a friend's swap party, where people bring stuff they don't use any more so that they can share it with their friends (similar to our clothing swaps but with much less shouting and fewer threats of murder).  It was excellent, and I was picking up awesome stuff left and right -- stockpots!  a new cookbook! a bouncy exercise ball! a cheese planer!  


Helen saw my pile and started laughing because despite dividing them up and mixing them with all the other stuff brought to the party by other people, I had managed to pick up all the things that she had brought to the swap (including plucking Helen's old cheese cutter out of a pile of cheese cutters).  We could have just skipped the trip and just had Helen drop her stuff at my house.  I knew unconsciously that me and these items belonged together -- like Sara and Rufus or Rufus, Daddy and Daddy's crazy voices!

It just underscored that which we already know about our family -- we love all the same things!  We love ikea!  We love babies!  We love preppy, modern clothes!  

And we love knowing about what other people are loving!

This blog is designed to enable our family to share with each other the things that you are loving these days, because it is probably a safe bet that the rest of family will love them too.

Did you just get a cute skirt for a dollar?  Did you dress Rufus up in a crazy costume?  Did you hear a song that made you want to never stop dancing?  Did you just make a chocolate cobbler that is to die for?  You can share it all here.
So here I will share one of my current favorite things: