I'm Back...and Better Than Ever

(image via)

For reasons truly unknown to me, I have neglected this blog. Yet when I look back on the posts I have curated over the years, I am proud and inspired by the woman who penned these words. I found myself searching around and loving what I found. My gratitude posts (here, here, and here, for example) lifted my spirits and is certainly something I want to revisit. With the new year right around the corner, what better time to start focusing on the blessings we encounter every single day. I also want to share the fascinating stories that I find online. Typically what I do is add these stories to by "Reading List" online but share them with no one. Why not have a platform where I can share these articles and also find them again, should I go looking? So stay tuned for some lessons on gratitude, interesting finds online, book talk, interviews with fascinating people, and tips on how to live an inspiring, happy, and fulfilling life. I am going to be learning these life lessons right along with you and sharing what I find. A classroom for a wonderful life! 

Reading List:

~12 Little Known Laws of Gratitude.

~8 Habits of People Who Always Have Great Ideas.

~The Evasive Work-Life Balance. 

~9 Books on Reading & Writing.

~When Life Feels Like a Mess.

~Adele is Back.

~The Best Thing You Can Do For Yourself.

As I await the birth of my second child (towards the end of the year) and continue to raise my beautifully spirited 21-month-old son, I will also share some parenting lessons, suggestions, and obstacles that I learn along the way. 

I look forward to building this small space into my online home. I am not doing it to build a platform, increase page-views, sell anything or become an online sensation. I just want it to be a place for me to do my favorite things; read, write, learn, and share. I'm excited!

Happy Fall! 

The Original Great Gatsby with a Modern Trailer

This is what the original, Robert Redford Great Gatsby Trailer would look if it were made today. Pretty cool!

Did anyone see The Great Gatsby with Leo over the weekend? Thoughts? How does it compare to the original? How does it compare to the book?

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to the woman who inspires me daily. 

I love you, Mom!

A Writer Remembered

Maeve Binchy, one of the most prolific and beloved writers of our generation, passed away this summer leaving behind a gorgeous literary history as well as one final novel. A Week in Winter came out last week and I don't think it's a coincidence that such a loved writer had her last work published days before Valentine's Day. Here is a short summary of her final work.

Stoneybridge is a small town on the west coast of Ireland where all the families know one another. When Chicky Starr decides to take an old, decaying mansion set high on the cliffs overlooking the windswept Atlantic Ocean and turn it into a restful place for a holiday by the sea, everyone thinks she is crazy. Helped by Rigger (a bad boy turned good who is handy around the house) and Orla, her niece (a whiz at business), Chicky is finally ready to welcome the first guests to Stone House’s big warm kitchen, log fires, and understated elegant bedrooms. John, the American movie star, thinks he has arrived incognito; Winnie and Lillian are forced into taking a holiday together; Nicola and Henry, husband and wife, have been shaken by seeing too much death practicing medicine; Anders hates his father’s business, but has a real talent for music; Miss Nell Howe, a retired schoolteacher, criticizes everything and leaves a day early, much to everyone’s relief; the Walls are disappointed to have won this second-prize holiday in a contest where first prize was Paris; and Freda, the librarian, is afraid of her own psychic visions. 
            
Sharing a week with this unlikely cast of characters is pure joy, full of Maeve’s trademark warmth and humor. Once again, she embraces us with her grand storytelling. 

I can't wait to dive into this one but part of me wants to savor Maeve's last work. It is certainly bittersweet.

Recommended Reads

Dinner: A Love Story. Intoxicating.

Pride & Prejudice for the Downton Abbey fans.

Donna Tartt is back...soon.

Author of PS I Love You has another book heading to the big screen with Love, Rosie 

History of the toothbrush.

You had one job! (Warning: You will not be able to stop scrolling through these pictures)

Started this book over the weekend and can't put it down.

Fresh Soaps

These FRESH soaps are just divine. I would love a basket full of these sweet smelling soaps.

Sunday Reading

via NYTimes

Great article by Alex Williams in today's NYTimes Style Section on Hipsturbia. There is definitely a hipster/Brooklyn revolution going on right now. I see it everywhere; in local shops, in books, in tv shows. What is the fascination with the Brooklyn way of life and why is it so easy to poke fun at and yet also so inspiring?

Long Sleeve Shirt

I love these shirts. They are soft, loose and keep you surprisingly warm. You can wear them over a tank top or alone, with jeans or pajama bottoms. They are the best. 

Have an inspiring weekend

Mike and I are off to a wedding this weekend in Boston. The weather is brutally cold but the company should be warm and inviting. Looking forward to some relaxing and kicking back on Sunday with the Screen Actor's Guild Awards. Here are some little gems from around the web...

Would like to catch up on some quality reading this weekend.

Great article on JCrew's Jenna Lyons.

Entertaining plans for Sunday.

Some poignant thoughts on writing and risks.

A sweet Valentine's Day idea.

And earrings to wear on February 14th.

Designing with bookshelves.

Do you remember the mom who put her daughter on a diet and wrote a Vogue article about it? Well, now she has written a book.

The most talked about book of the month is a book of short stories.

Quite literally can't wait to see this movie.

Someday I would love to go to Sundance just to stargaze.

Kristen Bell is adorable.

This man is leaving a lot of people scratching their heads.

Call me a sucker for a chick flick but I can't wait to see both of these movies.

{Photo from CentralPark.com}

Canobie Lake Park

Can you think of anything more fun than a beautiful summer day spent at an amusement park?

A Day at the Beach

image via

Spent the day at the beach. The waves were small, the tide was low and the water was cold and refreshing. A perfect beach day.

Happy 4th of July

via Joanna Goddard

Have a wonderful 4th of July! Celebrate it in style.

Easy Vinaigrette

via Food 52

I found this recipe for an easy French vinaigrette on Joanna Goddard's website, Cup of Jo. I can't wait to try it out.

From Amanda Hesser:

There are two kinds of vinaigrette makers. Those who add honey, agave or some sort of sweetener to button up the acidity and tone down any strong flavors, and those who embrace the vinegars and uncouth garlic, and let it all hang out. I'm firmly in this latter group. I like a masochistic salad with bitter greens and an assertive dressing. I like to know I'm eating salad, damn it, and that the dressing is my master.

Green goddess, Caesar and bagna cauda sauce are my heroes. And my go-to vinaigrette is an homage to them all. I mash together an anchovy with just a tiny tot of a garlic clove (garlic doesn't take much to get its point across) and salt. The salt helps grind them up. Then I dilute this paste with fresh lemon juice--and do use a fresh lemon, an old lemon will ruin this dressing and your dinner--and Dijon. You can season the dressing with freshly ground black pepper, but I sometimes like to add the faintest spark of pimento d'espelette (or the like: cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes). Then it's up to a good but not fancy olive oil to lash it all together.

Recipe: My Go-To Vinaigrette

You'll need:
1 anchovy
1 small garlic clove
Salt
Juice from half of a nice fresh lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup olive oil, something good but not too fancy
Freshly ground black pepper or small pinch piment d'espelette

In a mortar and pestle, mash the anchovy, garlic, and a pinch of salt to a paste. Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir to break up the anchovy paste. Beat in the mustard. Either beat or whisk in the olive oil, a few glugs at a time. The vinaigrette should emulsify but will never become super tight and even, and that's ok. Season with the pepper or chilis. Wash some sturdy or bitter greens, and you're on your way to salad paradise.

Happy Saturday: The Solo Cup

Brilliant!

Nautical Bathroom

via Seth Smoot

I love the beadboard walls, the old fashioned tup, the striped and faded towels and the nautical painting. Love, love, love! 

Litographs

via Litographs

These works of art are made from the text of the books they represent. The above print is made from approximately the first third of Emma. Gorgeous!

Polaroid is BACK...and better than ever

via Brit

Oh. My. Goodness. I want this! Polaroid has created an instant photo camera that allows you to preview the pictures and then print them out immediately (providing the instant gratification of the old school Polaroid with the modern improvements of digital cameras). It's a little pricey but I think it might be worth the cost. Thoughts? There is also this much less expensive instant camera from Fuji Film. Time will tell which one is worth it.

Striped Pillow

via Lands End

These pillows would look great in the summer time but have the ability to transition throughout the whole year. They come in some pretty great colors, too!

Hydrangea Tray

via Burke Decor

This melamine hydrangea tray is so gorgeous that you can leave it out on a table as decoration. It also serves a purpose as a tray. Beautiful and practical. What every house needs.

(I find so many handsome decorations in Country Living Magazine that I just have to share everything.)

Nautical Necklace

via Hallelu

Summer is here so I am all about anything and everything nautical inspired. I found this necklace online at a little shop called Hallelu and I just adore it! Now I just need the tan to go with it.