This weekend a friend and I stopped by the recently re-opened Loft Restaurant & Lounge at NYLO in Warwick for a cocktail. This place is uber modern and chic and had a fabulous terrace along the Pawtuxet River.
I ordered the Skinny Jeans Margarita, a bright blue version of the SkinnyGirl Margarita which is really light -- strong -- and easy to recreate at home.
Ingredients:
1 shot of clear tequila
1/2 shot blue curacao
Lime juice (from two wedges)
Mix it all together in a cocktail shaker with ice and pour into a margarita or rocks glass. If you like some fizz, add a splash of club soda.
(Just be aware that while you will look fabulous sipping this cocktail, you will also have Shar-pei tongue after drinking it).
While I was blowdrying my wavy/curly schizophrenic hair straight and looking at my bare, pale face in the mirror this morning, I thought about the difference that a little makeup and some mousse can do for a girl. It's downright miraculous.
Which brought back the memory of the 1989 movie "She's out of control" with Tony Danza and Ami Dolenz (the daughter of Micki Dolenz of my favorite childhood band, The Monkees. Yes, I admit it.)
I was about 12 when I saw that movie, which is about a nerdy 15 year old with braces and thick glasses who transforms into a total bombshell after a trip to the salon. Basically, her merciful stepmother waits until Tony Danza leaves town for a weekend then rips his daughter out of her ugly duckling phase by having the kid's braces removed (probably way too early), putting her in a tanning bed, getting her eye contacts, paying a stylist to run a comb through her head and buying her some new clothes.
At that age I was completely awkward and oblivious to the ways that us women are able to trick people into thinking we are naturally pretty. It was a revelation, really. After watching that movie I wished a fairy godmother would come along and take off my braces, buy me some hot 80's outfits and throw a little blush on me. Though it probably wouldn't have helped much during those pre-teen weird-looking years. And here's how I know:
When I was in college, I'd come home on the weekends sometimes and one weekend, I ran into my sixth grade Spanish teacher. He looked at me for a moment, squinting, thinking, and said, "Bridget, is that you? You look great! You weren't so pretty when you were a kid, you know?"
My friend and fellow blogger Bianca has this kick-ass cupcake of the month feature on her blog, so I'm running with that concept for Cocktails and Heels with a monthly cocktail.
I love fall and September brings it in, so here's an Autumn inspired cocktail I mixed up that you simply have to try. I call it "Cider Thyme."
Cider Thyme
1 shot premium vodka
1/2 shot Gran Marnier (or Gran Gala)
1.5 shots of apple cider
4 springs fresh thyme (save one for garnish)
Pumpkin Pie Spice (dash)
Remove the leaves of 3 thyme springs and put the leaves in a cocktail shaker along with the liquids. Mix until very cold, about 30 seconds.
Pour into a glass over ice and top with Pumpkin Pie Spice.
(If you like a sweeter cocktail, add more cider or orange liquer to taste)
On Sunday my bridesmaids and Mother threw me a small yet oh so fabulous bridal shower at a restaurant called Scampi's along the water in Portsmouth, R.I. They initially meant for it to be a surprise, but had mercy on me and let me in on the plans so I could dress up.
{White House Black Market Dress}
My maid of honor created gorgeous flower arrangements and decorated the room with sea inspirations -- coral, starfish, and actual fish.
One fighting fish in a water filled vase, to be exact. (It was raffled off along with a gorgeous azul blue orchid and a basket of Jamaican beach-inspired goodies). They played Bob Marley and other types of music we'll be hearing when we hit the beach in the Carribbean for our wedding trip very soon.
The food was so delicious as well - Mussles, Stuffed Filet of Sole, Coconut Chicken and Linguini with Shrimp in an alfredo-style sauce. And there were custom cocktails at the bar - a "Jamaican Me Crazy" Rum Punch made with fruity rums, pineapple juice, cranberry and orange juices. They also put out Red Sangria made with organic wine plus a punch bowl full of Mimosa.
But really, the cake was the jewel of the party.
It was a gift from my maid of honor, since we won't be customizing a cake at our destination wedding. It was beyond beautiful -- a work of art with edible shells! And delicious to boot. So I guess you could say I got to have my cake - and eat it too. (Sorry. Couldn't help myself).
For shower favors, my close friend and bridesmaid printed photos of Beavertail Lighthouse (where my fiance proposed) in a clear frame and attached two seashell wine stem charms to each frame. It was really personal and perfect. The whole day was.
I keep adding songs to my iTunes to make CDs for our wedding guest gift bags, and it occured to me that some people might not even have a CD player anymore. And if they do, they'll probably burn songs they like off our wedding CD into their own iTunes.
I still have a CD player and a decent sized collection of CDs and I've burned a number of songs from those discs onto my iTunes.
I love going back through my dusty boxes of compact discs, looking at the album covers and the artwork and the scratches on ones I played to death.
When I was in college in Boston, I loved walking down to the Virgin Megastore on Newbury Street on weekends and listening to music from artists I'd never heard of while reading the album covers. That's the stuff that we don't see when downloading songs to iTunes. I miss that.
I recently came across a mixed CD that a nice English chap made for me back in my days of dating. Sweet, if not a bit embarrassing for him now, right? And I'm showing my age here, but I still have about 20 or so tapes in the basement including a mixed tape or two that were made for me by young cassanovas.
It was the ultimate compliment to receive a "mixed tape" from someone. I remember listening to the songs over and over to pick out the parts that pertain to me. True Romance in the '80s and '90s.
What do kids do these days now that they can't create heart-felt mixed tapes for girlfriends?
My mother and bridesmaids tried to keep it a surprise shower, but a girl has to know when to wear her new party dress. Plus, I hate surprises -- it's a control thing. And it's tough to keep a secret from a reporter anyway. So, they had mercy and let me in on the plans by sending me the gorgeous, shimmery invitation in the mail a few days before the big event.
I was so excited to get this. The invitation goes with our beach destination wedding theme perfectly, and I just know that my girls went above and beyond to make it a fabulous day for me. I can't wait to see what they've come up with.
I also found out that my girls had to scour the Earth for invitees who did not have the courtesy to RSVP. I've had this invitation etiquette issue with parties we have planned and even with our wedding invitations. And it's not that our friends are particularly careless -- I've read about this problem in plenty of Bridal magazines.
It's so frustrating for the hosts-- especially when there is a stamped return envelope and an RSVP card included with the invitations. If someone is nice enough to invite me to an event, I always RSVP to let them know if I will attend, or to express regrets and say thank you for the invite when I can't attend.
So, what do you do when people haven't RSVP'd? Do you assume that they aren't attending or do you hunt them down with a call or email to get a definite answer?
I emailed guests who did not RSVP to our wedding -- and some guests told me verbally they could not attend, which is fine, of course. But still, some haven't bothered to respond whatsoever. I would love to hear some thoughts on this one.
I'm a tad obsessed with Pumpkin this time of year. I have the Creamy Pumpkin handsoaps from Bath & Body Works. Pumkin Spice candles. I put Pumpkin Pie Spice in my coffee to make at home versions of Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Lattes (though I haven't mastered a recreation of that bit of genius just yet). I have Pumpkin flavored liquer to make delicious fall cocktails (recipes to follow!). Oh, and I had an orange and white cat named Pumpkin as a kid.
Yes, come September, I turn into the crazy pumpkin lady. So be it.
So even though someone (me) had far too many margaritas last night, I managed to drag my ass off the couch this afternoon to make some Pumpkin Scones from a Stonewall Kitchen mix we bought while on vacation in New Hampshire this winter.
It's so simple: Add butter and water to the mix, create a dough, and slice into eight triangles. Bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Drizzle the Maple Glaze on top.
Ahhh.....Now all I need is a pumpkin latte. Time to research recipes!
I love me a fiesty animal print, especially on shoes.
We were going to a Red Sox game at Fenway park a couple weeks ago and I needed a cute sneaker. These snake skin print Cole Haan sneeks are based on Nike Air technology, so they are cute and super functional.
(Though I did get blisters wearing them the first say. It's the price we pay).
I also needed a pair of Fall flats because my black ruffled ones are beat to death (but oh, so comfortable). I couldn't resist these:
Bandolini cheetah print flats
Besides, I believe animal prints are lucky. I was wearing a brown and white zebra stripe sun dress the day my man proposed in July last year.
