Fulfilling your inner princess...

It's been mighty busy the past few weeks but one of the highlights was getting to shop for some great stuff with Stella and Dot and Thirty-One. Both of these companies sell by host parties but you can always shop through their websites (see links below).

Need a spectacular necklace that is sure to turn heads? Check out the Pegasus Necklace from the Stella and Dot Fall 2011 collection. It's name alone makes me love it. And it looks like something straight from Cleopatra's collection. :) But seriously, their jewelry is beautiful and unique. Another fave is the Marchesa Necklace.

So who doesn't love a new bag? What I love about Thirty-One is their big totes. Having two kids, I am always leaving the house with tons more than I need but these totes are the perfect size to carry everything — try the All-One Organizer, Retro Metro Bag, or Large Utility Tote.  I also love their Cindy Tote - great to carry a laptop and all your business needs.

Tony sometimes satisfies my travel bug

I caught one of my favorite TV shows last night on the Travel Channel — Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. I don't always watch but when I do, I love it! I truly believe this is one of the most unique, entertaining and educational shows on television. For those who have never watched him, Bourdain (an interesting personality on his own - chef, foodie, journalist) travels all over the world showcasing a new location each episode. But, it's not your cookie-cutter travel show. He examines the heart of the country through interviews with locals (usually being the average joe) and experts on the area. While digging into sometimes tasty meals at people's homes or locally-owned restaurants, Anthony discusses the culture, food, way of life and politics with his hosts.

This season's premiere was fascinating for obvious reasons — the illusive Cuba. One scene had Bourdain following a female restaurant owner buying supplies at a local food market and learning about her successes even while under the governmental challenges. Another scene showed him witnessing officially sanctioned groups set up on the streets solely for baseball debates (baseball being the Cuban religion). But the highlight was watching him undergo a very close shave from a very nervous and shaky barber supposedly feeling a little stress from the watchful eye of the filming camera. The episode was also full of the usual — partaking in the local fare and drinking ... a lot. Most notable was when he tried to "loosen up" his more affluent hosts on Mojitos concerning the livelihood of Cubans and current politics.

So, if you need a little education in your life and you typically watch Keeping up with the Kardashians or The Real Housewives (No judgement...I watch Teen Mom occasionally) then change the channel and get some real culture. I promise Bourdain will make you feel like you traveled right there with him.

Not a fan...

Morning Glory Muffins … the way to start a glorious morning

What the heck is a morning glory muffin you ask? Well, I think of it as a mix of a bran muffin and carrot cake. I’m not sure if there is any of the “bran” side actually in it though. But I do know there are raisins, walnuts and carrots…and occasionally I am excited to find that they added a bit of shredded coconut. They are perfectly moist and unlike my miniature cones that I finished in 2 seconds, I can enjoy this in about 2 minutes! j/k – I try to savor a little longer than that! These fist-sized creations kept me going throughout my pregnancy. I would honestly crave them like there was no tomorrow. I am dutifully trying to limit myself these days with some luck.

If you want to try some of this yummy goodness too — you can find them at the Williamsburg Community Chapel’s Café. The Community Café is a great place for breakfast or lunch with a creative menu – they even offer kid’s meals. So come on over for a nice quite place to have a cup of coffee and a morning glory muffin – they even have free Wi-Fi! But watch out — starting on Tuesdays in September, all of us MOPs moms will be overtaking the place with our screaming babies and teetering toddlers!

Once in awhile an incredible book comes my way...

In addition to my love of sweets and watching movies, I am an avid reader. This is the one thing I carve time out of my day for. I'm sure there are more important things to do, like feed my children, but I just have to read! (Just kidding - I do feed my children. Please don't call CPS!). More likely, the housework does not get done. My favorite genre is historical fiction but I’m starting to get more into nonfiction, which I was always afraid of in the past – not sure why. Maybe it was flashbacks of textbooks I avoided reading in college (and I double-majored in history!). But, alas, there are some good ones out there (see my list at the end of this post). As long as I can pick up a book, escape to another place, get lost in the narrative and feel for the characters, then we’re winning! (ugh - sorry for the Charlie Sheen reference)

I’ve read some enjoyable books this past year but nothing has come close to the emotions and passion that I felt after reading The Help (can’t wait until the movie – love Emma Stone) until I picked up Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Our latest book club selection, Unbroken is the true story about Louie Zamperini – a troubled child, Olympic runner, and finally a WWII Army hero. This man endured more in his lifetime than what is beyond capacity to imagine. Throughout the book, I felt joy in his accomplishments, panic in his adventures, and heartache in his encounters. But overall, this book is about hope amid the despair – a theme we could all learn from.

Hillenbrand brings to life what our soldiers experienced and brings it close to home for me. My own grandfather saw heavy combat in the Pacific theater during WWII – same as Zamperini – and again surges in me the thankfulness of what he did for our country – as well as all the other soldiers who have served, given their lives, and who are currently serving.

Okay…now on to some lighter stuff. Here are some non-fiction books that I have read and thoroughly enjoyed:

Into Thin Air, Into the Wild, and Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (His newest book, In the Garden of Beasts, is on my list)

Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Do you have any favorite non-fiction books?

I like my dessert in miniatures.

Be prepared, I have a major sweet tooth. I’m not talking about something little here. I can’t go through the day without sugar passing my lips at some point. I don’t mean the kissing kind. So you will see quite a few postings on my favorite sweets … mainly from my favorite wallet exterminator, Trader Joe’s.

This week’s special treat came in the form of miniature ice cream cones. I couldn’t resist. I must get this from my mom’s recent turn as a miniature food sculptor. I’m not joking! I thought her new-found hobby was a little odd but seeing her grandkids have a blast playing with her mini cinnamon buns and 3-layer cakes, I’ve changed my tune. I just want to play with the real thing.

This box of 8 mini-wonders come in vanilla and chocolate ... I chose the latter, of course. As I bit into one of the three-inch long cones (how cute is that?), I remembered the elementary school nutty buddies…soggy cone minus the peanuts. And then I was finished. I mean, they only take two seconds to eat. But all 70 calories aren’t bad. It was fun seeing my son’s face full of glee as I pulled them out of the freezer today. Unfortunately, he only got one out of the box. I do feel bad about that. I’ll go out and get him some more. If I can only hold off not eating several in one sitting. They are miniature right? So they don’t count.

Unstoppable vs. Pride and Prejudice, A Case Study

If you are a parent like me, your night out on the town consists of sitting on the couch with your significant other, watching the latest from Netflix and having a special treat from Trader Joe’s … at least this is my normal night "out". Because of this, most of my movie reviews will be older ones. We try to catch up on what we haven’t seen in the theaters every summer. Luckily, this is something my significant other and I enjoy doing together.

Last night we watched Unstoppable. “Easy on the eyes”, Chris Pine played opposite, “I sometimes play the same character”, Denzel Washington in trying to stop a runaway train. That’s it. That was the movie. To be honest, I could have watched it on mute. The characters didn’t have much depth and the dialogue was pretty predictable. The acting was fine but the script was just bleh. Most of the scenes were of a speeding train, careening unmanned through the charmless countryside/rail yards of Pennsylvania (ten points to who can guess what Live song is in my head right now). Before you berate me on the beauties of Pennsylvania, I have seen some very pretty locales there, but they were not in this movie. I would have enjoyed some more explosions. Yes, I enjoy a “manly” action movie every now and again.

Now on to my favorite. Pride and Prejudice…ahhh. What a difference a little added Brit makes. The only reason I write about this is because I caught about 20 minutes of the Keira Knightley version on E while waiting for Jason to figure out what was wrong with the computer before we started Unstoppable. (By the way, that is also one of my faves — my husband is very technically literate and I find that very attractive.) Thank you, E, yes, it is a movie I love too. Now P&P has great actors (Donald Sutherland — who else is excited to see him as President Snow next year?) and beautiful cinematography (idyllic England, not scruffy Pennsylvania) but, let me backtrack, the movie would be NOTHING without the master writing of Jane Austen. Her comical back and forth chatter amongst Mrs. Bennett and Mr. Bennett; Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy; and Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine can’t be matched. And the movie does a good job staying true to Austen’s words. I also really like the director, Joe Wright. He has such an amazing way of telling a story through his camera work - in one shot with no cuts, he travels through the Netherfield ball showcasing all the main characters, room to room. (SIDENOTE: He did an amazing scene in Atonement, too, on the beach at Dunkirk - this movie is also a fave.) Now all you BBC purists out there, I adore that P&P version just as much. Who can resist Colin Firth? But when you don’t have 5 hours to devote watching it, Keira will do. So, go rent either version and see for yourself what you missed out in high school English. You can skip Unstoppable.

Illy Coffee...its dreamy!

I got to experience one of my favorite purchases in Williamsburg today. Iced Illy Coffee. What more is there to say? An instant pick-me-up, this little beverage just makes our walks in CW that much better. One of my favorite restaurants in town, Blue Talon (I'll post more on this at a later date), offers a breakfast bar open from 8-11 a.m. everyday. You just walk up to their bar and the coffee is self-serve. They offer an array of flavored syrups — vanilla is my fave — to add to your cup. Along with coffee they have a variety of quick breakfast items ... try the amazing coffee cake - butter, brown sugar and cinnamon galore. If you have more time to sit, they have one of the best breakfasts in town.

Call of Duty, seriously?

I've been wanting to start a blog forever but never could figure out what I wanted to write about or what anyone would care enough to read ... you still may not care a lick for what I write here. Friends tell me that I should be in sales since I am always very excited when I promote something. So here is a go for spreading the word on what I think is cool and worth your while (or not worth it).

First off, I thought it would be fun to post what I'm not a huge fan of...but I'm a good wife :) and allow my husband his cave time. Just give him a call if you want to play him online.