TWTW - the three dayer

Friday night I was having a shitfit because MFD was taking a while with his hair and I was antsy to finally get to Spruce Street Harbor Park on the Delaware River Waterfront. It opened last summer and we never made it, and waited until the unofficial last weekend of summer this year to get there. Good stuff, Philly. It's a cool spot with great views of the ships and the Ben.

From there we headed to Vetri for a celebratory meal. Vetri is a dining experience that's been on my list for years. It's a tasting menu, it's pricey PP, and it is so worth it if that's your thing. Dining experiences have become our thing so it was worth it to us. Me more than MFD - he thinks Zahav's tasting menu is a better experience for the price and while I don't disagree, I am glad I got to cross Vetri off of my wish list. It's a small little rowhome on 13th & Spruce and I felt comfortable like I was having a really nice meal in my dining room.

I did some hausfrauing and cooking Saturday morning before heading to see my brother Sean's game at Villanova. Thanks mom for the group shot.

I got home, got my shit together, and headed to Carol & Dad's to finally celebrate Carol's birthday. She had a big work month last month so it was delayed, but hey, who will ever say no to an extended birthday celebration? I made my patented marinade for chicken and an awesome plum upside down cake from Vegging at the Shore. If you're looking for something that will be great with coffee, get yourself some local plums and get on this.

Sunday I had good intentions but laziness won most of the day. I started to do some yard work and realized I was out of lawn bags. So I headed to Home Depot, bought mulch and spray paint but no yard bags. I drove towards Franklin Mills to pick some up, got waylaid in Marshalls, and came home without them. Welp. I did get some stuff for future projects so I was happy. I went out later to get a mani (Zoya Sweet) and pedicure (OPI Cajun Shrimp) and MFD brought me Brother's Pizza for dinner while I laid on the couch and read. It was a good day.

Five dollar flowers of the week from Produce Junction:

Monday morning food prep: egg muffins with spinach, green onion, and cheese for breakfasts; grilled chicken over spinach for lunches; grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, and steamed broccoli for dinners; watermelon and yellow peppers for snacks; bacon wrapped grilled chicken tenders with cream cheese and jalapenos for Mom's house (recipe coming soon).

Mom & Rich's on Monday for a nice relaxing Labor Day picnic.

I finished a book Saturday, read a whole one Sunday, and started another Sunday night. I got lots of dog lounge time in too. The three amigos are pleased.

 I hope you had an awesome summer (even though calendar-wise summer isn't over until 9/23, I always think it's over after this last holiday weekend) and a wonderful Labor Day Weekend.  I feel like I'm always tired over LDW, like the summer running has finally caught up with me.

See you back here in the a.m. for Show Us Your Books.

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending

Dinner Party Hosting 101: Create an Unforgettable Fall Soiree

Happy Saturday on the unofficial last weekend of summer, pals. If you think the title does not sound like me, you would be correct. Jesse Hughes is here again with an article for you on the art of the dinner party, which I myself like to get back into the swing of after a summer full of backyard and outside living. Enjoy! 
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The whirlwind excitement of summer has diminished and with the arrival of autumn you risk falling back into a monotonous routine. Keep things fresh and fun with a seasonally themed dinner party, where you can celebrate this beautiful transitory season. There are many elements of a dinner party that require thorough preparation and thoughtful planning. Here are some tips and techniques that will help you create a fall soiree no one will forget:

Food

Create a menu that showcases the multi-faceted variety of flavorful fall produce. September yields a colorful harvest of apples, pears, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squashes and peas. A decadent, savory starter menu could include a butternut squash soup, roasted pumpkin seed and goat cheese salad, and pea and ricotta tartines. Smitten Kitchen has a catalog of creative recipes for pumpkin and squash, which will provide you with ample ideas for your personalized menu. As autumn progresses, the selection of seasonal produce expands and includes: broccoli, cauliflower, beets, cranberries, kale, chard, persimmons, pomegranates, blood oranges and meyer lemons. Don’t become overwhelmed by all the wonderful options — choose one primary, seasonal ingredient as the foundation for each dish. Once you’ve established which edible gem you’ll feature, perform a recipe search for an impressive and delightful dish.

Decor Accents

In the first stages of party planning, establish a three-toned or four-toned color scheme for your decor. Steer away from brighter colors, as they are more indicative of summer, and incorporate deep, bold and rich hues into your design. The sentiments that surround the season are that of bountiful harvest. Transpose the same sentiment ideas into your decor. Pick up some decorative pumpkins and gourds and elevate their aesthetic with white or metallic paint. Pinterest has tutorials on how to transform your squash produce into gorgeously painted gourds. Flower arrangements are a key ingredient in any tablescape. FTD has a specific section of its site for beautiful fall bouquets. Once you find your favorite fall flowers, set up mini bouquets around the table. Make sure they aren’t too tall and won’t inhibit guests from conversation.

Music

It seems like every season has a distinct genre of music to which it belongs. Summertime song lists usually include surf pop and upbeat folk music, while winter calls for more classic or holiday-related tunes. Create a playlist that includes whimsical songs by folk-genre and classic musicians. The Royal Tenenbaum soundtrack is a wonderful compilation of songs by Nico, Elliott Smith, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, and original compositions by Mark Mothersbaugh. Mashable also has a well-curated, autumn-inspired music list which includes Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, The Avett Brothers and Simon & Garfunkel.

Furniture & Lighting

The autumn evenings yield fewer hours of light, in comparison with summer. An earlier sunset and dark night sky can be used to your advantage, so you may create the perfect lighting for your fall party. If your dinner will be alfresco, in your backyard, utilize bistro lights which have large light bulbs. An outdoor dinner party is also the perfect excuse for the use of rustic furniture, like harvest-themed hay bales or forest tree stump. Have a few lush throw blankets, which match your party’s color scheme, handy in case the evening weather turns chilly.

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I'm pretty excited to get back to the soups and stews and casseroles, to use some seasonal ingredients and plan some nice menus with a good decor backdrop. What about you?

the toil holiday is upon us

Today is my second day of work for the week, yet I'm ready to give Friday a hug just the same.

Maybe use some time this long weekend to get your read on? Tuesday is the next Show Us Your Books linkup. I'm excited to see what you've been reading, because nothing I've read in the past month has set my soul aflame.

Be safe & happy this weekend, comrades.

Tough love luxury luggage

via

Say that three times fast, eh? Hello hello - traveling back from the shore today. This travel and luggage and luxury article was written and supplied by Jesse Hughes. 
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Rimowa Luggage Goes Gourmet: Compliment Your Topas Pieces with the New Gourmet Range
The Rimowa Topas range was originally developed to be able to handle the rigours of extensive travel in the tropics where temperatures can exceed 35°C during the hottest part of the day. This puts a considerable strain on both the traveler and their luggage as they move through the airport, out into a new country, and towards their hotel.

Not every person who handles the luggage along the journey is as careful with it as one would hope. So luggage needs to be robust enough to deal with its rough handling and the heat.

The Topas Collection

The Topas collection includes two-wheel sports or business luggage, a beauty case, and the larger IATA Cabin items that just fits in the overhead bin. The beauty case is particularly appealing for the ladies who like to carry their refinement on the go without needing to crunch up their make-up items into a single zip-up bag in their main luggage.

By contrast, the Topas Stealth collection sports the latest technology in efficient luggage, uses aluminium in its design and has a black colouring to go almost unnoticed as the traveller breezes through the airport to the check-in counter.

Going Gourmet in All Things

Not content with the Topas collection, Rimowa have now gone a step further with their Gourmet collection for the ultimate in travelling luxury. 

• The Gourmet Travel Humidor looks sleek with a single latch enclosure so that you can easily store your favourite cigarettes, cigars, or tobacco for pipe smoking. The case weighs in close to 2 lbs so it is barely noticeable.

• The Gourmet Sparkling Wine/Champagne Box is both larger and heavier at slightly more than 3 lbs, and it can carry a substantial bottle of wine or celebratory bottle of champagne on a trip.  This is great for people who are travelling on their honeymoon as well as for business people who want to impress their clients.

• The Gourmet Wine Case is much more substantial with two sections, two latches for separate opening areas and weighs in at over 9 pounds.  You’ll struggle to find a sturdier wine carrier than this!

The colour choices for all the above items in the new Rimowa Gourmet range include traditional sliver and luxurious champagne.

Finding the Latest Rimowa Collections

Rimowa luggage collections are a good choice for top quality items that are durable and will not need replacing for many years to come. Online luggage shopping through companies like globalluggage.co.uk is a great way to see the available ranges of Rimowa and other branded luggage before making an informed choice.  With many different styles available, everyone from the fashionable tourist to the professional business traveler will be able to find a collection that meets their travelling needs.

Where luxury travel is the thing, the Rimowa Gourmet range is likely to peak the interest of even the most hardened traveler. It’s a great compliment to the Rimowa Topas collection, and one that we are sure will be successful.
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What's your go-to travel luggage?
p.s. happy birthday to my friend Mark today!

Just the facts, ma'am. The birthday facts.

Today is MFD's birthday. We do birthdays big in our house. Not usually gift-wise, but experience-wise. And certainly do whatever the hell you want-wise. I'm taking a page out of Kristin's book and giving you some MFD facts. You read the mundane details of my life, why not share some details of his? Aside from what you get monthly in Shit MFD Said, of course.

1. He is a huge Star Wars geek. His favorite of the movies is Empire Strikes Back and his favorite character is Han Solo. His favorite merchandise is the eleventy billion t-shirts, vintage toys, and wall art we own.
2. He would rather watch the sunset than the sunrise.
3. His idea of a perfect pizza is a plain pizza from Brother's.
4. The majority of his free time is spent watching YouTube videos he thinks are funny.
5. Other current favorite pastime: fishing.

6. When he was little, he wanted to be an actor.
7. He takes his coffee with skim milk and one Splenda.
8. If he could have personally witnessed anything in history, he would've liked to see the MLK I Have a Dream Speech, the surrender of Robert E. Lee, and Jesus perform the loaves and the fishes miracle.
9. Lady celebrities he loves: Meryl Streep, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler (Shit MFD Said note: "They're the same. Put them together."), Sofia Vergara, Taylor Swift (Shit MFD Said note: "I can't believe I'm saying this. I used to hate her, especially when she sang with Stevie Nicks and butchered it. I think she was probably nervous. But I like how she's cool with her fans and I like her and I'm not ashamed to say it.), Shirley MacLaine
10. He has a vision board and there's only one thing left to achieve on the current one.
11. Movies that always make him laugh: Airplane, Borat
12. The political issue that most concerns him is China. China China China China China. (Shit MFD Said note: put down that I said that). Education, corporate accountability and Citizens United being repealed.
13. He makes friends wherever he goes. I call him the Mayor.
14. He really does want to be a Mayor one day.
15. He is a musician and he loves music. His favorite bands are Foo Fighters, Beatles, Fleetwood Mac. Favorite singers include Billy Joel, Harry Connick Jr., Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Amy Winehouse.
16. He is a big picture, big idea person.
17. In response to me saying tell me something random: "I need a haircut."
18. His favorite kind of cake is Carvel Ice Cream Cake and his favorite homemade cake is chocolate with vanilla icing.
19. He is 38 today.

1. She loves to call people sunshine and is typically a ray of sunshine herself. See above.
2. Debbie is pretty much up for anything. We've done a ton of fun things together and we're not nearly finished.
3. She is always very well put together - clothes, accessories, hair, makeup - always on point.
4. We share a love of potty humor and laugh loudly and long about ridiculous, immature things.
5. She makes beautiful jewelry.
6. She also makes the best deviled eggs.
7. She knows her shit - I learned a lot from her when she was my boss. We no longer work together but she remains a part of my family.
8. Her cats are named Kramer and Elaine.
9. She makes me laugh really hard when she talks in accents.
10. MFD's contribution: "She likes to say listen up."

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Haikuesday

Two favorites 

with September 1 birthdays. 

Do blondes have more fun?

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Happy birthday to these September 1 babies, as well as the May brothers and our young friend Griffin! Lots of September 1 going on in our circles.

Tuesday. You can about your business.