Light Enhances Color

The big fashion trend this spring being color, a colorphobic person like me is at a disadvantage. I am certainly not going to be seen in day glo orange or neon pink. Still I feel the need to acknowledge the trend in some small way. My investment will be minimal though, perhaps a scarf. This Tory Burch version might fit the bill.

Goodbye Elizabeth

Elizabeth Taylor was an amazing actress with a great talent and a flair for style. I will forever remember her as the little girl in Lassie and as Cleopatra. Her life was full of drama too. And as a mother I can't help but admire her, that somewhere in between marriages and movies she also managed to raise 4 children...

It's a Party

The first quarter of this year has seen a lot of entertaining at our home. The last big hulabaloo was my daughter's 3rd birthday party. Lots of kids running around totally wild and adults enjoying conversation while kids were busy playing. The guests were invited to come at 1:00 p.m. (this was a little girl's princess party) and we thought that the party would be over no later than 6:00 p.m. I guess it is a measure of success when the guests don't want to leave. Most of the guests did not leave until midnight! But everyone had so much fun, nobody wanted to leave. Some kids threw a fit because they wanted to stay for a sleepover. But at that point the hostess with the mostess, i.e., me, was so exhausted, that I had to say no...

The little snow white birthday girl. The dress was on for a whole 10 minutes after the guests arrived and then the birthday girl, or should I say, birthday diva, decided that it was time to change to another outfit...

The baker of these wonderful "pullas", my au pair. They were delicious, I heard...so delicious that they were all gone before I even had a chance to taste them..

Wardrobe Malfunction

The fast approaching warm weather season has spurred me to examine my wardrobe. The first observation is that it is in a sorry state.

Rachel Zoe's closet must be amazing!

I have a lot of clothes and nothing to wear.

I feel like I am just now waking up from a looong hibernation during which my wardrobe has been much ignored. The biggest style challenge is my weight which is out of control and because of which I don't fit into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes. I have resorted to wearing a few pieces that are left over from previous "fat" times (and quite old) and a couple of new pieces bought in desperation. I am sick of wearing the same stuff over and over.

I could continue analyzing what has brought my wardrobe to this sorry state, and put off actually doing something about it, or I could think about possible solutions to improve the situation.

California Closet - wish I had one! 

Solution 1:
Throw away everything, go shopping and buy a whole new wardrobe. ***  Tempting, but unconscientious and irresponsible. Ruled out.

Solution 2: Starve myself and fit into the better clothes in my wardrobe within a couple of weeks. ***  Well, if it was that easy why is there so many overweight people around?

Solution 3: Purchase a few key pieces; ideally pieces that would work even after I eventually lose the babyweight.  ***  Doable! Just have to decide what to buy. Resist impulses and stick to a plan.

Solution 4: Be more creative with the clothes that I do have and fit into. Use accessories to spruce them up.  *** Duh! Isn't that what I have been trying to do for the past 3 months?

Who would not kill to have Tamara Mellon's closet? All those Jimmy Choos....

Spring Fling

I love the new long skirts for spring and summer. I found an old Banana Republic beige suede a-line skirt from my closet which has been perfect now when the weather is still cooler.

This Reiss skirt is very similar to my BR skirt.

But I need to go shopping for lighter fabric skirts for summer.

Here are some favorite styles:

DvF

Lafayette 146

Stella McCartney

DKNY for weekend-wear

The world on my shoulders

So I did get the Evelyne last week and was overjoyed (still am). The bag is absolutely gorgeus; and has over the weekend been tested to be just as practical as I was hoping it to be. However, spending that much money on a bag, when there is so much suffering going on in the world, did make me feel cold, selfish and uncaring. Japan's horrible situation is in our faces 24/7 as news channels feast on disaster porn. Libya's situation is grave and scary and Egypt is still raw. My guilt was not eased much by the donation I made to UNICEF, but there does not seem much more that I can do. Donations are still needed. If you can, give a little bit to my favorite charities which are

UNICEF and DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS.

Evelyne

Oh, I am in such a tizzy state right now... I don't know what to do with myself!

The explanation: I went to the Wall Street Hermes store today, and they found a dark chocolate brown Evelyne III GM for me. The store had both sizes in stock in different colors, so I got to try them on, and decided that the GM (the largest size) is best for me. After all, I am a large girl, and can pull off a pretty large bag. Given how much stuff I need to tote around, the larger size might be more practical in the long run too. But! And there is always the but... Is it practical that the bag is open from the top? I plan on using it when running errands, traveling, going to places with my kids. Do things slip out? And somewhere I have heard that the strap has a tendency to slip as well. Does anyone have any experience with this bag? I have to go back to the store to finalize the order tomorrow because I had to run out today, being late for a meeting.
And on Monday I could pick up the bag. What to do, what to do, what to do?

Basement

Here are some before and after pictures of our basement renovation. The space still needs to be properly decorated, but the change is huge. The kids have a great play area for all their toys, which is wonderful because it keeps the toys away from the upstairs bedrooms and living spaces. And the whole family can enjoy movies in our own movie room. And if I ever find time to exercise, the gym will be waiting for me!

The basement before - not very inviting...

Kids' play room during construction

Play room

Movie room, the 65 inch 3D TV will go on the purple wall

Movie room

Gym room is in the background

Just some furniture and final touches needed

Fetish or Fascism?

Marc Jacobs' Louis Vuitton line was spot on for the spirit of the recent week... and I loved it! But then again, it's Marc Jacobs, so that's not really a surprise is it? I just hope that he will stay sane and continue to amaze us with his great collections.

Dinner Outfit

Here finally is the outfit I wore to the dinner last Saturday at Fig & Olive. Love that dress, hope I won't see every other girl wearing it since it is from H&M.

Dress H&M; Boots Nine West, Bag Chinese Laundry, Shirt Banana Republic

High Fashion

John Galliano's anti-semitic tirade has really shaken up the fashion world. There has been lots of interesting discussion going on, this op-ed piece in New York Times discusses fashion and fascism. A point of view that not everyone may agree with, but worthwile to share:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/opinion/07Garelick.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=Rhonda%20&st=cse

Spring time

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day in New York. The earth in my back yard smells like new life and the grass is dry enough to play ball on.  I surprised myself by getting an urge to get my hands dirty, and pulled out some old weeds and their roots from a patch that I intend to use for a little herb and flower garden. The actual planting still has to wait for another month and a half at least. And while working in the garden, I found this little chinese lion that has obviously been guarding our garden a long time, and I don't plan to remove him from his guarding post.

While waiting for some flowers to bloom in the garden, I can enjoy this beautiful orchid indoors. This orchid has been around a long time and is still so lovely.

In the evening my hubby and I went out after a very long time for a fun dinner at the Meatpacking district in Manhattan. We had great fun with friends and enjoyed yummy food at one of the area's hot spot restaurants, Fig & Olive. If I get a chance I will later post my outfit; I wore the H&M dress bought last weekend... 

The Little Fashionista

My 8 year old daughter is very interested in fashion and style. Sometimes a bit too much interested and then I have to remind her that there are other things in life that are more important, like studying, learning about life and cultivating the mind... But most of the time, we can keep things in balance and have fun with dressing up and styling each other. My daughter is in that age where it starts to get difficult to find appropriate clothes. I don't want her to dress up too grown up, and luckily, neither does she. Most of the time we agree on style, and she still listens to my opinion, which I am hoping won't change too soon!

Ralph Lauren sweater, Kmart top, GinaTricot leggings

Love the pink stripe lining of the sweater
The peace necklace is from Claire's (my daughter's favorite store) and changes colors based on your mood





Today's Quote

Whenever my kids create art, I think about this lovely quote:

We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into the frame is ours.

The Bull

My Monday morning pick-me-up was that Warren Buffet is very bullish on the U.S. economy, which is excellent news to investors. He repeatedly refers to the strength of the American people in his annual letter, which was released over the weekend. The letter says he is going long on the U.S. "Money will always flow toward opportunity, and there is an abundance of that in America," Buffett wrote. "The prophets of doom have overlooked the all-important factor that is certain: Human potential is far from exhausted, and the American system for unleashing that potential ... remains alive and effective." I love it – thank you Mr. Buffett! The best is yet to come!

Saturday retail therapy outfit

Banana Republic Jaccket, H&M jeggins, Target boots, Longchamp bag, Burberry scarf, Gina Tricot sweater. And the best accessory: My daughter. Notice the pose?

The retail therapy session yesterday was quite fruitful :-)

I came home with high and low finds. I found really cute flat gladiator sandals (there's a style that keeps giving) for spring and summer from Giuseppe Zanotti (black thin strap patent leather) and Tory Burch (studded with gold studs, very "punk"). Some great finds from H&M: a dress with an open scoop draped back, "silk" anorak with gold zippers, and a floral blouse. Zara yielded a navy sweater with big gold buttons on the shoulders. And then a shocker - I went to Walmart to get something my au pair needed, and proceeded to find Norma Kamali line for Walmart. I bought two sheer ruffle blouses, in black and off white, a black zipper motorcycle jacket, grey cargos, an animal/tribal print long sleeve t-shirt, and a black jersey jumpsuit. Wow!

Partly inspired by another blogger, and partly because I've been thinking about it for a while, I also stopped at the Americana mall Hermes store and chatted with the nice sales lady about Evelyn bags. And I put my name on the list for the chocolate brown version. Let's see if they call me before I change my mind.

(Of course I also did ask about Birkins, but I am not quite ready to drop ten grand an a bag yet...so let's hope the Evelyn comes through while cross body styles are still big). 

To my disappointment, a couple of chain stores had left the luxury oasis known as the Americana mall, which just happens to be my closest shopping center. There's no more H&M, which is a huge bummer for me. Apparently, the owners of this luxury mall did not want to renew their lease. I guess the economy looks up and they want to dedicate the mall to high end lines exclusively. I don't think this is very smart, since so many shoppers like me shop the whole range, from high to low. And even if the mothers would not want the H&M, the daughters do! I hope it comes back.

Postpartum

Remember the postpartum girdle I purchased? Guess how many times I wore it? A big fat ZERO! Remember how confident I was that I was going to lose the babyweight in no time flat? Guess how many babyweight pounds I have lost? Another big fat ZERO!

I know how simple it is to lose weight. After all, I have done it a few times, successfully. You just eat less calories than you burn in a day. Simple math. Keep your mouth shut. Eat healthy. Cut out sugar and fat. Eat more protein, and lots and lots of veggies. Drink plenty of water and green tea. So why is it so hard this time??? 

There are a couple of culprits..not that I am totally blame-free, but I am on prednisone because of a chronic condition, and that medication is known for causing weight gain due to its appetite increasing side effect. Another culprit is having literally no time to exercise. I always thought that people who said they had no time to exercise were just making excuses, but that was before I had three kids, a house, a job, renovation projects, and absolutely no time for me... Exercise doesn't make you lose weight, but it makes you feel good about yourself and gives you motivation to eat healthy and less calorie-laden foods. Maybe now that I can set up my treadmill again in the basement I can steal a few moments here and there to exercise. The third sad fact is that my metabolism probably is not what it used to be. I am now much closer to 40 and my new normal has changed calorie-wise; my body just burns less than it used and I need to adapt to that.

Ok, sorry for the rant..I just needed to blow off some steam. The battle continues! I want to be able to join my kids in the pool next summer without wearing a scuba diving wet suit.. Any tips that you have about how to make it easier are welcome.  

Leifsdottir

Leifsdottir by NYSTYLE1 featuring tom ford sunglasses

Crazy for lace

I have gone a bit nuts for lace..very unusual for me as I am usually more of a simple, minimal sportswear type of a girl. A while back, late last year actually, I got a long sleeve off white lace blouse, and then a short sleeve off white lace T-shirt, and the other night I ordered a black lace jacket, or a blazer actually. Against my better judgement I ordered it from Kmart, of all places... We shall see how it looks in real life. In pictures it of course looks great. But I am a bit sceptical about the quality, after all, the price was unbelievable..and usually you get what you pay for.. But I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will be proved wrong. It has shipped and should arrive within a couple of days...

Memory

Saturday night I and my husband took our 8 year old to see the musical Cats. It is a traveling musical now that it's no longer playing on Broadway, and it came to a performing arts center close to us. It was a great production, with very good staging, dancers and singers, just as good as it was on Broadway. I wanted my daughter to see it and enjoy the great Andrew Lloyd Webber score. We all thoroughly enjoyed the show. And, of course, ever since then, we've all been humming memory...if you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is... and so on... Here for your entertainment is the best version of memory ever, by Barbra Streisand. Enjoy!

Orange Crush

Last week Wall Street Journal style section announced that orange is "the" color for the spring. I have been channeling my orange crush with coral lips, orange tulips and an orange runner on my dining table. Perhaps I will take the runner and add a pop of orange to my wardrobe by using it as a shawl, which it originally is anyway.

There tulips were actually more orange in real life, somehow the color did not translate well to pictures. 

Purge

Yesterday I saw the "Purge" at LaMama Theater. It's a play, and a novel, by a Finnish writer Sofi Oksanen. I had read the novel a couple of years ago when it won the literary award Finlandia, and the story, which deals with women's abuse and rape, human trafficking, war, desperation, strength, and love, made a great impression on me. It is a work of fiction, but it is something that could have happened and could be happening now...whether in Estonia, Rwanda, or Congo. It is very disturbing to think how close to truth the story may be. The play was great, especially the women in it were fabulous, particularly the girl who played Zara, unfortunately I don't have her name because I threw the playbill out by mistake.. A semi-famous Finnish actor was also in the cast, Peter Franzen, or at least his somewhat famous in Finland. He played Martin, and his performance was ok. The only thing that annoyed me a little about the play was the ending, which was different in the novel, more dramatic and justified, because Aliide redeems herself by saving Zara. The ending in the play was more ambivalent, maybe more thought provoking, but not as believable. In any case, I am happy that I had the opportunity to go see the play and did so with dear friends with whom we will probably go back and discuss it many times to come.

Today's Quote

We choose with our focus. We face a universe of unlimited possibilities, and we choose which one becomes "real" for us by focusing on that possibility.
                          Ellen Debenport, The Five Principles


The basement renovation is done - and now it is time to clean and set up! The kids will have a beautiful playroom, a hobby space, and the whole family will enjoy our gym and the 3D movie room. I can't wait to haul all the kids toys back downstairs and claim our family and livingrooms back from the clutter.

And at some point in the not so distant future, we will add a sauna there as well - and then it's complete.

Show me your bookshelf and I'll tell you who you are

I love books. They inspire, entertain, transport and teach me. I am trying to learn that there are different kinds of books; most books fall into the category of read and let go - those you can download on the iPad, borrow from the library or from the office swap. But then there are those books that must be purchased because they either look too beautiful in print, or it's a book you keep coming back to.  Most of my books have been stored in the attic since we moved, waiting for the right bookshelf space. But because I cannot totally live without books, a few piles have found their way here and there. And in this family the kids love books too - maybe because I love reading to them.

Make me pretty

I always need a little boost for my skin at this time of the year. The skin is tired, pale and lackluster. So off I went to the Sephora at my lunch hour looking for some good vitamin C cream to give my skin the needed boost and clarity. Thanks to the perky sales person, I walked out with a product that cost twice as much: Caudalie's Vinoperfect Radiance Serum. It promises to make my skin "moisturized and luminous" and to give me a complexion that "looks even and beautifully radiant" (gotta love that marketing language). The secret ingredient comes from grapewines, so how bad could it be - I love the other good stuff coming from the grapewines ;-) I will tell you how beautifully radiant my skin gets with this after I've used the serum for a couple of weeks.

I also got some make-up - my absolute favorite lip gloss, Buxom Lips, in Lacey. The perfect color and perfect consistency. And a new treat, a Bobbi Brown shimmer wash eye shadow in Heather Mauve (looks more silver or gray than mauve to me, but who am I to say, I am not the make-up artist, all I know is that it's a pretty color that's neutral enough for the day)...

Coffee Table - Take 2

The coffee table display evolves again..this time the green Aalto vase is out because it is in use elsewhere housing tulips. I added the cute little reindeer thingy I found at Anthropologie and the golden clock that has been looking for a place. The poor little clock has always looked out of place but I think I finally found the perfect spot!

The Never Ending Winter

Yes, winter 2010-2011 is now officially known as the never-ending-winter! Kids have had their fun in the snow and husbands have had their exercise shoveling the driveway. It's been pretty, but it is now time for the white stuff to melt. This winter provided plenty of material for pictures though, so here are a few shots taken on our yard.