Dino Jr.

DINOSAUR JR. IS COMING TO MY TOWN TONIGHT!!! I'm really excited--can you tell?!?! I've never seen them, so this is huge for me (for some reason I feel the need to see all my favorite bands live, at least once). The hubby saw them at one of the early (i.e., REAL) Lollapaloozas, and I now sleep in the Dino Jr. t-shirt he got there (What can I say? He prefers rock tees to lingerie! HA!).

This band has so many positive associations for me, not the least of which being all the times they were featured in Sassy. Anyone else remember the awesome pix of them at the Museum of Natural History next to...you guessed it: the dinosaurs?! Oh Sassy--you were so cheeky! The magazine world hasn't been the same without you!

Hmmmm...I think my weekend plans now include putting on my purple Doc Martens and pulling out all the issues Sassy I saved from high school.

Guest Post from the Hubby: Alternatives to the Big Game

The wife is a little under the weather this week, so this is the first time I get to directly talk to the fabulous readers of Shell.

Super Bowl weekend is approaching fast. And I do enjoy the game, but mostly because it is a good excuse to eat something naughty. If it weren’t for the bad food, I probably wouldn't care about the event. I am not a football fan; my sports-love is baseball.

I’m going out on the limb and assuming the majority of you readers are not counting down the days until Super Bowl whatever-number-it-is. (What the heck is up with the Roman numerals anyway?) So while the rest of the country is watching the big game, this is your shot at bucking the system.

Here are three suggestions for Super Bowl alternatives:

1. Organize your makeup kit. Once a year, take out your cosmetic bags, sit in front of the TV, and organize your makeup during the game. In fact, my family actually calls Super Bowl Sunday "Tackle Box Sunday," because for years our tradition has been that my dad and I organize our tackle boxes and my mom and sister do the same with their makeup. Of course, it's essential that you take a break when the commercials come on so you don’t miss out on the water cooler talk on Monday. Make it an annual tradition…it’s a new year, time to get rid of the old and make some room for the new (except you, Rebekah. You have enough makeup. You don’t need to wear it anyway).

2. Buy stuff on eBay. At least 90 million people will be watching the game. Less bidders means better deals.

3. Go out to dinner. Every area has a few restaurants that usually require reservations many days in advance. This is the one time where you can get in (provided they do not have a TV).

What ever you do, have fun...and drink a beer and eat some nachos for me, okay?

Stitch and Bitch

Every now and again when I need a good laugh and/or am feeling like I want to pretend that I'm crafty, I head to Subversive Cross Stitch. Something about the sweetness of a cross-stitched sampler juxtaposed against those hilarious, naughty sentiments lifts my spirits every time. I'm thinking about finally ordering a kit this year to help keep me occupied during the long winter months.

I recently came across these samplers on Tumblr, which have inspired me even more. Although the sentiments are a bit nicer than a Subversive sampler, I still love how unexpected they are:

All this thinking about needlework reminded me of how I've always wanted to order a shirt from Locher's (talk about an awesome combination of sweet + naughty embroidery!). Lo and behold--they are having a sale! I think this top finally has to be mine:

(via Audrey Hepburn Complex, Like Neely O'Hara, Locher's)

Blue Monday: Parrish Blue

I love finding inspiration in unexpected places and came away from a visit to the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester last Friday majorly inspired. The museum has a nice, comprehensive--albeit small--collection. I was really needing a little loftiness and beauty to lift my spirits, and who does that combo better than Maxfield Parrish? Seeing The Lute Players in person left me awe-struck. The play of the rose gold glow radiating off these lovelies and the blue--the blue--of the sky and water was just so intense.

I always love Creature Comfort's art-inspired outfits and since seeing this painting am now mulling around wearing my cobalt silk blouse with a black pencil skirt or trousers and rose gold accessories. I'd also love to paint a room Parrish blue and fill it with lots of brass and glass and creamy-gold furniture, but am pretty sure that wouldn't work in my 1950s ranch. But a girl can dream, right?

What influences your wardrobe or decor outside of current trends?

Orchards and Whales and Zeppoles--OH MY!

It was such an amazing weekend here in Upstate NY that I just have to share some snaps with you. We really had two of the most lovely days ever, which meant instead of staying inside and doing all the housework I said I was going to do on Friday, the hubby, Zelda and I were out and about, visiting Little Tree Orchards on Saturday, where we picked Macoun apples and ate fresh apple cider doughnuts (sadly, we forgot the camera because it was totally gorgeous and the doughnut machine needed to be seen to be believed!) and heading to Syracuse on Sunday to poke around at the CNY Regional Market.

And I do mean "poke around." I'm an intrepid flea market shopper, but this place was overwhelming, with many of the vendors simply setting out box after box after box of unknown junk for you to explore. Case in point:

I managed to find one really cool black and white wing-tip golf shoe in this box. I dared not look for its mate.

Although I think it will take a couple of visits for us to get into a good junking routine, we did come home with a few treasures, like this cutie:

I've been eyeing up some vintage brass figurines on Etsy for a while and was so psyched to score a mini-Moby for only $3! He came home with a few friends, and I'll be sharing how I put them to work over the next couple of weeks.

We also stumbled upon an Italian festival in downtown Syracuse. As far as we're concerned, Italian festivals = awesome food, and this one didn't disappont. The highlight? This incredible Zeppole:

The texture was so light and the filling had just a hint of lemon. YUM! (And despite how it looks, I did share with the hubby--I swear!)

After stuffing ourselves on rigatoni with vodka sauce (me) and fried meatballs and rice balls (the hubby), we watched Bocce and listened to a really terrible cover band...and someone maybe even napped a little:

It was really perfect. That's the only word for it. These are the days that will get me through living here come January and February and March and April when it's really just miserable (that's the only word for it...).

Open (Apple) Season

For some reason my stomach always seems to know what is in season, which means I've been craving apples for the last two-ish weeks. Here in Ithaca, this week unofficially marks the start of apple season with Cornell Orchards opening and the Apple Harvest Festival going on next weekend.

Apples will definitely be on my weekend agenda, and I'm going to:

• Make a Waldorf salad with some Liberty apples and the celery we got in our CSA share this week.
• Look for an apple bundt cake recipe (if you have a good one, would you share?).

I also plan to:

• Put up some shelving in my basement and undertake a HUGE reorganization project. Wish me luck...it's scary down there!
• Can beets and tomatoes.
• Cut down all my perennials and empty out my flower pots.
• Buy some pumpkins and mums.
• Do some antiquing/flea marketing with the hubby.
• Cook up a big batch of black bean burritos (recipe on it's way next week!).

How about you?

Foxy Friday

Remember how last Friday I said I was hanging on to summer 'til the bitter end? This adorable watercolor by Renee Nault makes me change my mind. I'd love to spend an autumn afternoon with a good book, a tart, crisp apple from Cornell Orchards, and a frolicking fox, wouldn't you?

(via booklover via ReneeNault.com)

Wedding Weekend

My cousin is getting married this weekend, so I'm off to Philly this morning to begin the bridal party festivities. My cousin is a totally smitty and has been working herself to the bone on all the little details for the big event. I can't wait to see how everything comes together!

I also can't wait to:

• eat breakfast at a nasty, old roadside restaurant in central PA with my parents this morning (greasy spoon breakfast--ROCK!).
• get manis and pedis with my girl cousins this afternoon.
• wear my favorite Betty Draper dress to the rehearsal dinner tonight.
• spend some quality time with my cousins who live too far away (we grew up in the same town and, being an only child, they were like my siblings...so I miss them a lot!).
• play make-up artist and do my aunt's make-up for the wedding.
• (hopefully) not look like a fool in my bridesmaid dress.
• drink a whiskey with my dad and hubby at the reception.
• drag my hubby out on the dance floor at the reception.
• have brunch with my whole family on Sunday morning.

How about you?

p.s. This picture is a little teaser for a quick DIY I threw together last night. I'm so uncrafty, but am so, so psyched about how this project turned out. I'll have all the details next week!

Long Weekend

I find it very hard to accept Labor Day weekend as the end of summer. I plan on summering up-to-and-including September 21--weather permitting, obviously. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to suck every last ounce of summer out of the beautiful long weekend that is predicted.

I'm going to:

• Go see Extract.
• Sail, sail, then sail some more.
• Grill veggie dogs and make macaroni salad.
• Drink mudslides with the hubby on our back porch and watch Magnum PI on the laptop (you should really try this...it's one of our favorite summer pastimes!).
• Hike Watkins Glen.
• Visit the Farm Sanctuary.
• Drink coffee on my back porch and finish my weekly reads.
• Touch up my tan in preparation for wearing a strapless bridesmaid dress next weekend.
• Watch an awesome fireworks show on Sunday night.
• Maybe squeeze in a visit to Skaneateles.

How about you?

(photo via sabino)

Here's someone who didn't like my packing skills...

Although I was totally pleased with how light and organized my bag was, and the person with whom I travelled couldn't believe how little I was taking, Zelda wasn't the least bit impressed with my packing prowess.

It’s FRIDAY! We have NOTHING to do this weekend, which doesn’t happen very often. Plus, it’s supposed to be rainy.

Therefore, I’m hoping to:

• fight off some sinus/allergy issues by drinking lots and lots of green tea kombucha, nettie-potting, resting, and watching lots of Dark Shadows.
• see the Trumansburg Fair parade.
• (finally) go see Time Traveler’s Wife.
• hold my bff’s new baby as much as possible.
• plan menus and go grocery shopping.
• make the hubby a playlist since he’s grossly out of touch with the current music scene.
• catch up on e-mail and phone calls (I’m always sorely behind).

Doesn’t that sound gloriously boring?!?! What will you be up to?

p.s. I MUST have these shoes. If you know where to find them, clue me in, pretty please.

(via SHOELUST; originally published on Sassy in Trousers, 8.28.09)

This is a short weekend for me because I head to Chicago on Sunday for work. I LOVELOVELOVE Chicago, though, and have most of Sunday afternoon free (which is both exciting and dangerous considering my hotel is right on Michigan Avenue).

Therefore my weekend will consist of:

• convincing the hubby to eat at Good Luck after a doctor’s appointment in Rochester late this afternoon.
• packing for my trip (next week I’ll have some tips on how to pack light for a 3-day business trip, so stay tuned…).
• (hopefully) going to the drive-in on Saturday night, but the weather looks quite uncooperative.
• eating kung pao tofu and a fresh ginger ale for lunch at Big Bowl on Sunday.
  going to Anthropologie to try on this jacket.
• loitering in the shoe department at Nordstrom.

How about you?

(originally published on Sassy in Trousers, 8.21.09)

I wish I were spending the weekend here. Oh Cape Cod…how I love thee.

Instead, I’ll be:

• (hopefully) eating Thai for dinner tonight with a nice glass of Gewurtztraminer.
• baking zucchini bread.
• kissing the hubby goodbye tomorrow morning as he heads off fishing for a few days with his dad (I might kiss him before then, too!).
• avoiding seeing Time Traveler’s Wife alone since I’m not entirely sure I trust myself to drive home afterwards (I may try to drive into the lake…I’ve barely recovered from reading the book two weeks ago).
• finishing the second omnibus of The Vampire Diaries and getting back to Monster of Venice.
• trying to decide if I want to enter Weardrobe’s “White on White” contest.
  doing laundry.
• deciding on what outfits to take to Chicago next week.
• sailing with my mom, dad, and Zelda (that’s her other favorite summer pastime).
• having a TV-filled Sunday night thanks to True Blood and the premiere of Mad Men.

How about you?

(via Home Sweet Home; originally published on Sassy in Trousers, 8.14.09)

Mad Men

Last night was so hot and sticky that all we could do was lay on our living room floor under a fan and watch the last few episodes of Season 2 in preparation for Sunday night’s premiere of Mad Men.

Yesterday at lunch I went to http://madmenyourself.com/ and made avatars for the hubby and me. Mine kind of looks like me; however, the hubby’s looks scarily like him (when I sent it to him he said, “Cool…I look like a scary beatnik!”).


(originally published on Sassy in Trousers, 8.11.09)