Wednesday Words

TLC Tuesdays [Prolonging the Life of Fresh Flowers]

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I don't know about you guys, but I LOVE having fresh cut flowers in my house. I find fresh flowers to be the ultimate little luxury-they dress up any room and give it a sophisticated feel. I tend to have quite expensive taste when it comes to choosing flowers, I've been known to buy myself $12 roses for no reason (but that's what life is about). I don't feel the slightest bit guilty about splurging on beautiful flowers, but I do get a bit salty when they die within 2 days. 

What's a girl to do? Well, I went to one of my oldest friends, Alan, former Whole Foods flower connoisseur and current nursing student/perfect wavy hair haver, to gather his tips and tricks for prolonging the life of your foliage friends. 

First of all, you should know that Alan finds orchids to be "low maintenance", which really proves to you how adept he is at caring for plants. I personally killed an orchid in a record 72 hours. 

• An Alka Seltzer tablet or piece of grilling charcoal dropped into the water will keep it clearer, longer. (Also, changing said water every day goes a long way)
• Dropping a couple pennies in with a vase of tulips will keep them standing taller and straighter (but not for longer than usual)
• Ice cubes dropped in tulips will keep them closed for longer, but ice cubes dropped in roses will help them open and flourish
• Hammering or peeling the stems of hydrangeas (my favorite) will help them absorb more water, thus prolonging their lives 
• Also, if you are hell bent on raising some orchids, Alan's suggestion is to water them once a week and keep them in your bathroom where they will thrive in high humidity and indirect sunlight
• I've heard that pouring a bit of vodka in your flower water will prolong their lives as well, but it may be a better idea to drink a bit of it yourself-then your flowers will look perfect #VodkaGoggles

The gorgeous Ecuadorean roses that I picked up from Fairway on my day off. Swoon. 

Here's a delightful and blurry picture of Alan and me at his high school prom! xx Thanks for helping a sistah out!

Lately

So you may have noticed that I've been a bit MIA lately. Most of this can be attributed to craziness at work (we're down a team member and my boss is on me "like white on rice"). Some of this can be attributed to good old fashion laziness, and the rest of it comes from enjoying awesome weekends. 90% of my blog prep happens on Saturday and Sunday and I haven't had much time to do that with all the awesome Autumnal activities I've been engaging in with family and friends.

A few posts ago I detailed my ideal day which consisted of a spa trip, dinner in the city, and french pastries. That day, I decided that I'd do my best to make it a reality-I've been working hard and supporting my husband as he is well into his first semester of grad school, and I just felt like I needed a bit of "me" time (don't I sound like a stressed mother of 3). So, I did what any stressed mother of 3 (imaginary) children would do, I submitted a time off request and booked myself 2.5 hrs at the spa.

The cozy, cocoon-like waiting room at At Ease Day Spa

I visited At Ease Spa, which is a beautiful, intimate little haven in Hillsdale, NJ. Of course, I arrived 10 minutes late which left me stressed instead of completely calm. Also, I simultaneously developed and conquered a fear. Luckily for me, this spa was running a $149 special for a 25 min Apple Cider scrub, a 55 min massage, and a 55 min pumpkin peel facial. I was all about it. I was dying for the facial and massage and the scrub was just icing on the cake. That is until I thought about how I would be scrubbed-which I thought about far too late to back out of the treatment. I was presented with a shower cap, paper g-string, and a hand towel. That was all that separated my pale, dry body from my body scrubber and subsequent masseuse, Jiy. She scrubbed and polished my skin, which was perfectly lovely, but then she had to hose me down like a Camry at the Jiffy Lube (really, I'd like to think I'm a bit nicer than a Camry-perhaps an Audi A5 #DreamCar).

Let's just put it this way, that paper g-string did nothing to hide my "secret garden" (fear met and conquered), but hey, I survived! Regardless, I had a really relaxing few hours where I completely forgot about everything save for breathing and enjoying the moment. After my facial, where my new BFF, Svitlana, extolled the virtues of scrubbing ones skin (and judging me for not doing so at least 3 times a week), I took myself to Lord and Taylor to find a "farm chic" blouse (more on that later this week). Then I came home to bake an apple pie for my husband who then took me to AMano, our favorite restaurant in Ridgewood for authentic Napoli-style pizza (seriously, you must go).

The loafers, clutch, and Cabernet that accompanied my husband and I to Amano

The husband's arugula and sausage pizza (I had the vegetarian, which was to die for!)

All-in-all, life has been pretty great, but I could really use a few more hours in the day. And don't give me that, "you have as many hours as Beyonce" bullshit, because that girl does not do her own laundry, or dust her house.

I spent Sunday with some of my favorite things, a french pastry, a cappuccino, my girl crush-Rosamund Pike, and my best friend!

Grown Up Friendship Bracelets

Recently, I've become obsessed with and inspired by Katherine Power, co-founder of WhoWhatWear, Domaine Home, and Byrdie Beauty. From what I can tell from stalking her instagram she frequently wears Monica Vinader's Baja chain bracelet (starting at $315) in the grey agate. While I feel more drawn to the Lapis in gold, there's no denying how gorgeous and wearable this piece is! Honestly, my hardest choice here is deciding which color I need. 

Wednesday Words

TLC Tuesdays [Office Supply Organization]

Before we get started, I have to apologize for the crappy quality of the below photos. I didn't realize how bad they were until I had run out of light. As previously stated, the show must go on . . .

Now, it's not at all a new idea that office supplies can be used to organize more than paper clips and pencils, but how many of us have actually put those Pinterest finds into action? I went to Staples last week and grabbed this paperclip holder, this wire filing rack, and this receipt holder and used them to get my bedroom in order. For me, the biggest deal was the filing rack, you can see from my before picture that I had a handful of clutches thrown together on a shelf in my closet-not easy to use in the least. My next challenge is to ditch the TD Bank Tote bag in favor of a more grown-up (anything but this) option for storing misc. pieces.

Previously, my bobby pins were in a clear mini bin beneath my hair ties, which means I never felt like pulling them out to use them.

My clutches were stacked messily on top of one another and I could never see what I actually had up there. Being 5 ft 2 doesn't help the situation either.



Before, my rings were thrown in clear bin which kept me from seeing them and I never wanted to dig for the ones I was hoping to wear. Now, they are clearly displayed on this receipt rack where I can be reminded of all the fabulous baubles that I have! 

S'mac

Yesterday, I finally checked an item off my 101 in 1001 days to do list (inspired by Mackenzie's here). I made it into the city to S'mac for dinner with my husband! He may disagree but I think it was totally worth the 50 minute drive to wind up 25 miles away with delicious mac and cheese in front of me! S'mac specializes in fresh made mac and cheese dishes; you can either choose from their set menu (think Cajun, Buffalo Chicken, and "Lite" options) or you can make your own with any of the components found in their menu items.

Each meal is served in a skillet in three sizes ranging from "personal" (Nosh) to "I'm going to pay for this later" (Mondo) and is also available in a take home option or in a party size (you'll pay for it though). Also, they offer gluten free, lactose light, and vegan options as well! Honestly, you'd be hard pressed to find a person that wouldn't enjoy S'mac (unless they are grumpy about driving 25 miles for mac and cheese. ahem).

Obviously, you can't enjoy this post without knowing what I wore. 

My latest obsessions, this DVF mini cross body (on sale here) and vintage sunglasses that my best friend found in her basement (similar here). I like to think that these were the perfect mac and cheese eating accessories. 

My husband was all too thrilled to pose for a picture.

I had the Mediterranean Mac and Cheese and he had the Cajun style-both were delicious! (We both had the Nosh size, which was the perfect amount)

We had to break $20 for the parking attendant so we popped into Insomnia Cookies for take home treats (I went with a classic chocolate chunk and a deluxe S'mores cookie). I fully intend to eat a few bites everyday to really prolong the deliciousness that is these cookies.