Mad Men

Season 4 of Mad Men starts tonight!  We're dusting off our martini glasses in preparation for the big event.  Who's your favorite Mad Men character? 

Weekend Concert: Kings of Leon

Happy Friday!  It's been a crazy one, and I am looking forward to the weekend.  We're headed to the Kings of Leon concert!  I love this band and am excited to see them perform live.  It should be a great show.  Don't they look extra serious in this picture, though? 

Hope your weekend is delightful!

Milestone Birthday

Doesn't this look like the most beautiful place?  For my husband's 30th birthday, we are headed to Stout's Island.  A favorite destination of my parents who introduced us to it last year, this lovely little island is the perfect weekend getaway.  I'm so looking forward to a peaceful, relaxing (albeit short) visit.

I'm also putting the finishing touches on the birthday details.  I was hoping to put together 30 presents, large and small, to celebrate his big day.  It's more of a challenge than I suspected to find this many gifts and not break the bank.  I need some inspiration.  Any ideas?

{image via Stout's Island Lodge}

Book Review: The Carrie Diaries

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Have you read this yet?  If you're a Sex And The City fan, you'll enjoy The Carrie Diaries.  This prequel, written by Candace Bushnell, gives us a peek into the Carrie Bradshaw's high school years.  The book doesn't follow all of the details that we learned from the show, but the essence of Carrie is defintely present.  Geared to a teenage audience, this is a quick, fun read.  Perfect for a day at the beach!

Pie In A Bag

{image via The Elegant Farmer}

Have you ever heard of The Elegant Farmer?    This Milwaukee bakery is famous for baking the most delicious apple pies...in a bag.  They actually bake them in the brown paper bag, and the result is pure poetry.  As someone who does not typically enjoy pie (I don't like the texture of crust), I was skeptical when a co-worker brought one in.  It is truly the most delicious pie ever, with a sweet sugar cookie crust and piles of tart, tender apples inside.

On Sunday I decided to try and recreate this perfect pie using a number of copycat recipes from the internet.  After conquering the fear of putting a brown paper bag in a hot oven (several frantic phone calls to friends and family ensued), I ended up with a decent pie, though it didn't look or taste much like The Elegant Farmer's pie perfection.  Some say the secret is tapioca pearls to thicken the filling, or rice flour for a crunchy crust.  I tried both, but mine did not have the Elegant Farmer's magic formula.  There's always next time.

Friday Favorites

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Happy Friday!  With any luck, this month's issue of Martha Stewart Living will have hit my mailbox by the time I get home this evening.  Don't you just love the opening the crisp, glossy pages of a new magazine? 

A few things that caught my eye this week...

-I can't wait to try this new restaurant, a long-awaited project from the winner of Top Chef Chicago.

-My new favorite living room, spotted at Where the Sidewalk Begins.

-A super sweet kite-themed children's birthday party, found here.  Love it.

-The Luna Cafe is my new favorite site for delicious recipe ideas.  Simple instructions, gorgeous photos and inspired food.  Check it out.

Have a perfect weekend!

Gift Wrapping

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I am obsessed with gift wrapping.  I admit it.  I spend as much on wrapping paper as I do on gifts, have an entire area in my house devoted to ribbons and adornments, and constantly daydream about new ways to make packages more beautiful. 

How clever is this tutorial from The Crafts Department at Martha Stewart's web site?  It also happens to be much easier than it looks.  Love it!

Cheap Thrills: iPhone Edition

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If you have an iPhone, you're probably overwhelmed by the sheer masses of accessories out there.  I just ordered this fun and simple iPhone stand from movie-peg.com, spotted over at The Office Stylist.  I got one in Pretty In Pink for me and Blue Velvet for my husband.  Priced under $8, this is a functional little tool to prop your phone for watching movies, using it as an alarm clock and reading. 

What can I say?  I'm a sucker for cheap and shiny accessories.  What's your favorite iPhone accessory?

Happy Fourth!

{via Chasing Fireflies}

Happy Fourth of July!  When I think of Independence Day, I think of picnics, flags, parades, and Bruce Springsteen's Born In The USA.  Freedom is an abstract notion that we often take for granted.  But when you stop and think about it on a day like today, we're so very lucky, aren't we?

Sushi Train

Continuing on yesterday's sushi kick, I just spotted this sushi train set over at The Lark.  Is it not the sweetest toy?  Kids can create their own sushi using the felt toy pieces, and then you can choose your play meal from train cars, similar to the sushi shops where you pick your plates from a moving conveyor belt. 

This sure beats the Snoopy Snow Cone Machine of my era.

I Love Sushi

{image via Thick Black Outline}

I love sushi.  It is one of my absolute favorite foods.  It's fresh, flavorful and doesn't leave you feeling guilty after you indulge (unless of course you consume a ridiculous amount of soy sauce and your fingers swell up like sausages -- not that I would know this particular feeling, mind you).

My ideal sushi order, following a starter of edamame or seaweed salad,  is:
*  1 piece maguro (tuna)
*  1 piece ebi (shrimp)
*  1 piece hamachi (yellowtail)
*  1 piece tamago (sweet egg mixture)
*  1 spicy scallop roll

What are your sushi faves?