Monthly Archives: February 2009

Recession Style: Forever 21

Posted on 02.27.2009 | Leave a comment

I would describe myself as a JCrew girl. Love their shirts and styles. I appreciate the fact that all of their outfits would be best accented with pearls.

However, in the spirit of the recession, I feel the need to exhort a newfound addition to my wardrobe – Forever 21.

Forever 21 is not a store that I would physically go to. I feel like it would be too mish-mash a la Charlotte Russe (I apologize if this is your favorite place. It simply is not mine.). But, after basically abducting a teal tunic-dress from a sister that I absolutely adore from Forever 21, I decided that I should probably check out the Forever 21 online store to see if there were any similarly-fashioned dresses because:

A. I haven’t shopped for clothes since the end of December (which for me is like trying to turn the world upside-down).
B. Its my half-birthday on Saturday.

So, for $40, I managed to find two dresses (one black and one fuschia) that hopefully will rock my world. Plus, two dresses for $40 is basically like giving clothing away for free.

I’m also a huge advocate of online shopping because of the fact that you can see everything that is possibly on sale at that moment in time and in all of the colors of the rainbow that are still left in inventory, which does not happen in the store. This is not recommended for risky purchases where you will be unsure of fit, but those clothing articles that you do have your size down for are perfectly suited to this.

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Posted in Clotheshorse, Style

HOUSE!

Posted on 02.25.2009 | 1 Comment

Yesterday, Marcus got the townhouse in Plymouth that we loved.

I.am.so.excited. As in, seriously cannot help myself.

Among its many wonderful and redeeming characteristics: its nestled between two ponds, it has a nice-sized deck, its in the Wayzata School District, it has a huge window in the living room and vaulted ceilings. Downstairs there’s a family room with a fireplace (!), which I think would look stunningly cozy in a pleasant shade of Merlot as it already has some wood panneling (NOT knotty pine, thank God).

A few days ago, in anticipation of this, I went on amazon.com and got Domino: The Book of Decorating and House Beautiful Colors for Your Home: 300 Designer Favorites. So necessary.

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Posted in nesting

Two firsts, one weekend.

Posted on 02.23.2009 | Leave a comment

A la my faith journey, I got to have two firsts this weekend.

Marcus and I went to the Olitzky’s for havdalah, which was an incredibly pleasant experience and surprisingly fast. I think its probably more meaningful if you actually keep shabbat, but nevertheless was really nice.

And this morning, I went to Beth El to bake hamantaschen with Marcus’ mom and aunt along with every other woman at Beth El. Hamantaschen are like filled shortbreads that are baked for Purim. Because I have an uncontrollable perfectionist streak, I was accused of “micromanaging” my hamantaschens. This is as post-folding them into some sort of triangular shape, I felt compelled to continue to pinch and press until I had formed a perfectly equilateral triangle as “bulls’ heads” were unacceptable. Stressful. But still, a great time.

We finished the hebrew alphabet last week in classes and Purim is in two weeks. Adventures.

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Posted in Choosing to be chosen

Life begins at 50.

Posted on 02.22.2009 | Leave a comment

Last night we celebrated Vandy’s birthday at The Bulldog NE. Love.that.place.

They were staked out in the back room and when we walked in, I saw this black, mylar balloon that said “50″ on it. I was totally hoping that someone was playing a joke on Vandy. I asked Huston if that was the case and he informed me that the balloon actually belonged to the woman wearing the tiara that said, “DIVA” on it.

More importantly, she was double fisting crowns as she quickly replaced her first one with another, separate crown made of pink cardboard that had the snappier, “Birthday Slut” splashed across the front.

Bless her.

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Posted in Weird as Hell

A Real Catch.

Posted on 02.19.2009 | Leave a comment

Billy is an awesome little brother. Mostly because every week, we do or discover something that sends us into hysterical fits of laughter.

Today while we were at work, he suggested to me that the link below could be a lucrative income opportunity if I was unable to find any other source of employment.

Ribbon Angels – Income Opportunities

Just think of the possibilities.

Oh, and make sure to check out the “Angel Awareness Magnets/Pins.”

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Posted in job hunting, Weird as Hell

Breakfast Alternatives

Posted on 02.18.2009 | Leave a comment

NYT has had some homeruns in the Dining & Wine section this week.

Today’s article covered non-traditional breakfast choices with an emphasis on savory flavors and whole grains. This translated into several interesting recipes, the most tantalizing in my opinion being the one with polenta. Polenta is highly underrated in my opinion and when cooked properly, can be a nice side dish for a meal. Done poorly, it turns into a scary mass of yellow goobers.

I’m not a pancetta fan but another meat or some other savory taste could be subbed in for that. At the end of the recipe, they also offer another topping option involving tomatoes, mozzarella and herbs. J’adore.

Polenta ‘Pizza’ With Pancetta and Spinach

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Posted in Cooking, NYT Food

Of Backsplashes and Accent Walls

Posted on 02.18.2009 | Leave a comment

Marcus and I have been house hunting for the past few weeks. Which has been a great time – we’ve seen some really nice places and some really, incredibly, bad places.

On Friday morning, we’re going back to check out a townhouse that we think could be “the one.” *knock on wood* Which is great, actually. But thinking about this house has unlocked a totally separate mutant part of my brain, which I DID NOT EVEN KNOW EXISTED until this point in time, that fixates solely and specifically on decorating.

For example, did you know that a backsplash is one of the most dramatic and low-cost rennovation options that you can choose for your new space?

Oh, and that’s another thing you should take note of…Rooms aren’t just “rooms” anymore. That’s just trite. Now they’re called “spaces.”

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Posted in Artsy-Tartsy, nesting

Mystery Recipe

Posted on 02.17.2009 | Leave a comment

I am hesitant to post this because frankly, it sounds like a beautiful disaster in a pan. Its WAY more eclectic than anything I would normally dare to cook or test out on another human being, and yet for some reason, it sounds totally perfect.

Roast Cauliflower and Peas with Chutney Cheese Sauce

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Posted in Cooking, NYT Food

ALDI

Posted on 02.14.2009 | Leave a comment

ALDI is kind of a weird place, I will be the first to admit. If you would look at it from the outside and then in, you would automatically assume that its so not my place.

Its kind of a pseudo-Costco and is approximately the size of a Trader Joe’s, if not a bit smaller.

ALDI is rad because its canned goods (a la peas, corn, chopped tomatoes, so on and so forth) are under a dollar. And you can buy an entire frying chicken for $3.

And then you can spend all of that money on something else fun or more expensive and/or exotic groceries like filet, ahi tuna, mozzarella di buffala or a case of Two Buck Chuck.

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Posted in Grocery Shopping

Club Cards: Rock Bottom Mug Club

Posted on 02.13.2009 | Leave a comment

Rock Bottom Brewery in Minneapolis is an excellent place to go.

I mean, you do have to make the decision to drink or drive. If you choose the former, you may have to do a bit of finagling to get to and from. People are clever though.

But the happy hour is excellent for drinks and has appetizers that are about $3-$6. When they tap a new beer, everyone there for the tapping gets a complimentary pint. Plus, they brew their own beer, which is always a nice touch. In a recession, what’s not to love?

As I usually go to Rock Bottom with seasoned Rock Bottom-goers, they enlightened me several visits ago to a miracle called the Rock Bottom Mug Club. It goes like this: you tell your server that you want to join the club, they give you a club card which you have to register on-line, and each time that you go to Rock Bottom and exercise your Mug Club privileges, you automatically get a mug of beer for the price of the pint that you actually ordered. Victory.

There are some random incentives too as you rack up your visits. I’ll be completely honest though – I’m not in it for the pint glasses and t-shirts, I’m in it for the beer.

If you want to hear more straight from the horse’s mouth, check it out: Rock Bottom Mug Club.

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Posted in Clip It