Jams of the Week

Trailer Jam: the Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis"

I'm a pretty huge Coen Brothers geek...they can do no wrong in my book, even when they misstep a bit. But a movie about beatniks in Greenwich Village? No missteps there...I absolutely can't wait.

Outfit Jam: Mrs. O's Thom Browne Coat

What a debut into womenswear for Thom Browne! I loved the sleek coat our First Lady wore for the inauguration on Monday, and immediately thought, "Dang! Where do I get myself a subtle patterned coat?" Not so easy, but I could at least probably get my hands on some purple leather gloves. Check out all the First Lady's looks on one of my favorite blogs, Mrs. O.

Music Jam: The Lone Bellow

I read about this group last week, then saw them perform their beautiful harmonies on Conan. But I loved the song even more when I found out the band's members are from Virginia and the girl singer went to William & Mary! I love rooting for fellow Virginians, so I'm excited to see how the buzz builds for them.

Movie Jam: "Silver Linings Playbook"

We've seen most of the nominated movies with a couple exceptions, but I think "Silver Linings Playbook" is my favorite so far. Don't get me wrong..."Zero Dark Thirty" was tense and brilliant; "Argo" was fun and thrilling; "Lincoln" was epic and masterful. But "Silver Linings Playbook" is the only one that left me actually gushing as we left the theater. See it if you can!

Today I Like ... Downton Abbey's 1920s Look

Have you been loving the third season of Downton Abbey (trailer included if you somehow don't know what I'm talking about)? I have always loved the 1920s, so from the first episode this year, I was pumped to see the finger waves, the sparkly jewels, the dropped waist, the chiffon and all the pretty satin wedding dresses.

I don't think it's any exaggeration to say the 20s are about to have a major Moment with a capital M in 2013. Between Downton Abbey and the upcoming adaptation of The Great Gatsby, I'm seeing the influence hitting the runways and already trickling down to merchants. If you're feeling the inspiration like me, here are some pieces to bring the jazz age into your closet.

Get the Look

1. Peter Pan collar blouse, $30 at Delia's.
2. Deco embellished top, $79 at Asos.
3. Accordian pleat midi dress, $138 at Anthropologie.
4. Cloche hat, $25 at Nordstrom.
5. Barrette, $78 by Marc by Marc Jacobs.
6. Earrings, $180 by Lulu Frost.
7. Birdcage pump, $70 at DSW. 

Sunday Best v.139

Photo of Marilyn Monroe by Sam Shaw

Whew, what a week. Thank you for your patience. Life at the moment: laundry on the floor, Christmas decorations STILL up (ugh, shameful), and I've worked the last two Saturdays. Hoping this week life will slow down just a little bit! Here are some links I've enjoyed around the web lately:

• New Yorkers caught checking themselves out.
• Big news! Michelle Obama got bangs!
• I'm casting my Oscar votes based on these gifs alone.
• Is it weird if I really would watch Will Ferrell and Ryan Gosling sell knives?
• Have you seen Jack Lew's ridiculous signature?
• I'm sort of obsessed with the idea of Beyonce's personal archives.
• Thoughts and expressions we just can't capture in English.

Bear With Me

Sorry for the radio silence, friends. The truth is, we suffered a death in my family last week that took me to New Jersey for a funeral. During that time, we also learned of a serious illness in another part of our family, and then on the way home, learned of the tragic and untimely death of a family friend. I'm feeling a little unmoored by the whole experience, and left with little to say.

What I will say is this: It's impossible to walk away from a funeral and not want to be a better person who doesn't waste a day. So I'll be thinking about that for the next little while. Hugs and kisses to you all, and please spread them to your loved ones for me.

Celebrity Wines

There are famous winemakers, like Robert Mondavi or the irreplaceable Charles Shaw (haha!), and then there are famous people who have decided to make wine. We decided to see how celebrity wineries stack up...although few celebrities could compare with pretty Maya,  my new kitty friend.

We've tried Matthew Fox wine before, and while we're pretty convinced the winery has nothing to do with the guy who played Jack on Lost, we like to imagine there's a relation. It's surprisingly good and super cheap.

You gotta give Drew credit...even if her wine tasted terrible, its label will attract your eye. Luckily, it doesn't taste terrible. It's a little sweet for pinot, but refreshing and easy to drink. Apparently Barrymore Wines were inspired by her journeys through Italy.

I marched into my local Total Wine and asked if they had any celebrity-owned winers. The super smart lady said, "We just got some Trump wine in...how about that?" Um, sold. I imagined it would taste like spray tan with metallic undertones, but it's actually not too bad. That's because the Trump family bought the former Kluge Wineries near Charlottesville and just slapped their name on the wine. The simply red was not really noteworthy or memorable, but it wasn't a disaster.

There's a surprisingly large contingent of race car driver wineries, including Jeff Gordon and Mario Andretti. Jen brought Childress Vineyards' sweet muscadine, which is SWEET...save this one for dessert. Childress is committed to putting North Carolina wines on the map. 

There's a reason Francis Ford Coppola's wines are sold almost everywhere...and it's not name recognition. His wines are legitimately good! This sauvignon was crisp and refreshing, with a little effervescent zip that had me pouring a second and third glass. 

To get in the celebrity spirit, Jen made some celebrity dishes, including Rachel Zoe's apricot mustard-glazed salami. If you've watched the show, you'll remember it's the only thing she makes and everyone loves it. It was delish!

We also had Dolly Parton's garlic cheese biscuits...

Courtney Cox's currant scones...

John Wayne's green chile squares...

And Guy Fieri's spinach salad with pear and pomegranate, drizzled with honey and dressing. Super great!

Curious what other celebrities have slapped their names on some labels? You might be very, very surprised. For my money, I think Francis Ford Coppola's held on to his status as a legend among this group, but Drew's wine is a close second.

Facing My Puppy Fear

When my friend Ashleigh asked me last week if I could dog-sit her puppy Roscoe, I immediately said yes. I didn't have plans for Saturday, and I always like to help my friends if I can. But then my nerves set in.

Something you probably don't know about me: I am a bonafide cat person to a bit of a crazy degree. I don't dislike doggies, per se; I just have so little experience with them and their unique brand of unconditional love. I never had a dog growing up, so I just don't know what to expect when I'm around them and it's always hard for me to set aside my own uncomfortableness with rambunctious playing and wet kisses when I'm around my friends' doggies. 

And that's exactly why I thought it was high time I face my fears and spend several hours, alone, with a puppy. 

I was feeling okay about dog-sitting until received the doggie daycare dossier from Ash, with an incredibly intimidating list of the puppy's likes and dislikes, mannerisms, vocabulary and schedule. So much to remember! Most cat owners have never had to say, "Go potty" to convince their cat to unload...this was going to be a new experience for both of us!

Luckily, we both survived the day. It was quite an eye-opener...people aren't kidding when they say a puppy is training wheels for a baby. I couldn't believe how much attention cute Roscoe needed! I spent most of the day either feeding him, walking him, playing with him to tire him out, letting him nap on my lap and repeating the whole routine. 

We did have a couple accidents...almost every time I turned my back, either to make myself lunch or go to the bathroom, he decided it was time to pee under my dining table. When I left him on the couch, he started whining, because his pitiful little legs can't make the jump to the floor!

But all in all, we had the most lovely day together. There's really nothing like having a living thing to care for who demands your attention, and I'm glad I faced my fear of doggie caregiving. When we came inside after Ashleigh took him home, I noted with surprise to Sean, "I miss Roscoe!" In other words, I want a kitten really desperately.

A New Year Merits Some Goals

The other day I declined to make any solid resolutions, but as the first week of the year has passed, I couldn't help but come up with some goals for the year that I'd like to share.

1. Write honestly about life as it is.
One of the most refreshing things I saw in the blogosphere last year was a series of posts by my favorite bloggers called "Things I'm Afraid to Tell You." The bloggers let the veil of their picture-perfect lives come down and revealed some pretty serious truths that lurk behind their instagrams: they're broke. they're struggling with weight. they got divorced. they aren't satisfied in their careers.

It was really inspiring, and while I think it's healthy and necessary to keep some parts of my life not on the internet, I also think it's important to remember why people write and read blogs, which is to connect. I've found it more and more difficult to connect with bloggers I loved in the past because, frankly, their blog content has become completely disconnected from their identities. And while I love to indulge my inner fashion magazine editor on occasion, I also don't want my blog to get far away from why I started it, which was to document my life.

At the end of the day, I do it more for me than for anyone else, and I believe if I'm more true to that, you might find it more relatable in the end. So that's goal #1...less worrying about whether my blog is "pinworthy" or has enough original content and more focus on using it as a creative outlet and personal motivational tool.

2. Get serious about saving (food).
We have regular transfers set up from our checking account to our savings account. I buy most stuff on sale if I can, but I suck at remembering and using coupons. But we don't go nearly far enough trying to save money, and I have one particularly bad habit I want to break.

I waste too much food. It's a combination of poor planning/impulse purchasing at the grocery store/indulging cravings. I realized it was a problem when the cabinet where I keep my pantry staples was overflowing with types of flour, because I have accidentally bought flour several times without realizing I already had some at home. That's ridiculous.

So, for January, I'm challenging myself to limit my grocery trips until I have sufficiently used up some of the food in the freezer and pantry. I save it all up like we're going to have some insane emergency and it just doesn't make sense!

I think this will take me to the next level of cooking. Since I first started learning, I would choose recipes that sounded good and design my grocery list around recipes. That's all fine, except I end up with leftover ingredients that, for whatever reason, don't get used.

I also have a tremendous problem with my own pickiness. I have always been someone easily brought down by cravings and resistant to repetition within a given week. Let's just say I'll never be the person who has lasagna two nights in a row. I have to get over this to reduce food waste.

I also buy a bunch of food expecting to be making dinner four nights of the week and then end up accepting spontaneous dinner invitations, coming home later than planned and too tired to cook or covering meetings I didn't expect. It's just the reality of our lives that we can't keep a lot of fresh food around, or it gets tossed. I have to accept that and plan for it.

Those are the two biggies that might be impacting this blog of mine. I'm so grateful for every single one of you who checks in with me every day (or every week, or every once in a while), and I'm excited for another year together.

Sunday Best v.138

A front door in Dublin...I think I actually saw this one when we were there!

Well, this has been a recovery weekend from the holidays...lots of laundry and lounging around and movie-watching. More about that later this week, I'd imagine. In the meantime, here are some links I loved!

• This Subway sandwich artist feels as strongly as I do about condiment usage.
• An incredible portrait of a pickpocket.
• I can't believe I didn't write this ode to exhibition figure skating, my favorite thing ever.
• Jerry Seinfeld explains how to write a joke in detail.
• Blast from the past! Did you know the original website for Space Jam is still online? amazing.

Jams of the Week

Delayed Reaction Jam: "Bernie"

I was a little bit interested in "Bernie" when it came out, but after reading a couple meh reviews and knowing absolutely no one who saw it in the theaters and mentioned it, I managed to miss this one. Lo and behold, it started popping up on the "Best of 2012" lists and Jack Black got a Golden Globe nomination, and soon after, everyone and their brother was recommending it. It's on Netflix now, and not only is it a fascinating and well-acted film, but the format is inspired. If anything, the lead character is Carthage, Texas.

Netflix Jam: "Freaks and Geeks"

I've been waiting literally 10 years to rewatch the show, which I watched when it originally aired on NBC in my senior year of high school. It not only holds up; it's classic. It's on Netflix instant now, god bless!

Makeup Jam: Urban Decay Naked palette

One of my favorite Christmas gifts was the Urban Decay Naked eye shadow palette. The colors are perfect, giving a full spectrum of work appropriate and nighttime fancy looks for experimentation. The brush is super good for blending, too, and I'm all about the primer. It's worth the $50. 

Liquor Jam: St. Germain

My best pal Ashleigh was praising St. Germain, an elderflower liquor, so I bought her a bottle for her birthday and a tiny one for me. I didn't know what to expect, but it's delicious. It's great for sipping by itself, but also delicious with white wine or champagne. I kinda can't wait to use it for summer cocktails!

Happy New Year 2013!

It seems like every New Year's, I feel like I have insufficient plans that don't involve nearly enough sparkle, friends and revelry. This year was poised to be another one like that until we invited just a few friends over to hang out and it snowballed — in the best way — into a full-fledged New Year's party! My sister-in-law Katie and I, along with Miss Margaret, pulled together a smorgasbord of goodies to make sure no one ended the night with a belly full of champagne and little else. Here are some shots from the night:

Chocolate chip cookies, shrimp cocktail, hummus, Belgian cookies, cheese and crackers...

Caprese skewers with Italian sausage tortellini, drizzled with basil olive oil...

Katie's signature blue cheese-stuffed dates wrapped with bacon...

And even fondue, as demonstrated by Charlie!

We spent our night giggling over the gleeful inappropriateness of Cards Against Humanity.

And we finished the night with champagne spiked with Chambord and glittery accessories!

I don't really have resolutions, but I have pretty ambitious goals for 2013. There's the usual — eat healthier, drink more water, face fears — and some hyper-specific goals, like buy a new car. Wish me luck, and good luck to you!