I'm still on the stay-cool kick. I was able to avoid the city heat for 36 hours by escaping to the beautiful, pastoral land known as Connecticut (ah, Connecticut!), but once I hit the pavement again, I knew something had to be done about my hair. You see, I've got a lot of it. And it's all the more noticeable to me when the temperatures and humidity level creep up.
I suppose I could go old school and keep my tendrils like Kylie,
but I'm not confident I could truly rock that 1987 look. I'm always happy with a whipped up top knot or milkmaid braids (in fact, both have been my summer staples thus far), but here are some other suggestions if you are willing to get a little creative. These ideas should last you through at least a few eons of summers.
Though I admit this took me way longer to figure out than my IQ would suggest, bun makers are pretty nifty and give you insta-chic style. You can also use a sock!
Before creating any of the above hair dos, I love spritzing my locks with some beachy texturing spray. They smell divine and give your mane a whole other look once deconstructed.
The Gnarly Whale has some lovely scented and purely made products. Plus, how could you not support a company with that name?
I know, I know, enough with these "National" blah-blah-blah days, Lucy. I agree. But the thing is, of the likes of Lucy, s'mores hold an honored place somewhere among the Top 10. So how could I let this holiday pass without musing on some chocolate-graham-marshmallow combinations?
S'mores have popped up in this blog a few times before, both HERE and HERE (as I mentioned, Top 10!), but there is always room for some more s'mores.
Ever have trouble finding a good roasting stick? These would solve that problem, and you could then prove you take your s'moring seriously.
Just so you know, I did not seek out s'more soap (mainly because I'm pretty sure I'd try to eat it even knowing it was soap.) It happened to be the main result of a Google search for s'mores. Who knew?
I will be adding all of THESE restaurants/resorts to my Travel To GoGo Pinterest board. At the top of the list will be The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe - where they have a marshmologist (I did not make up that word.) Instead of tea time, every afternoon, a s'mores smorgasbord (say that three times fast) is set out by the fire, complete with the marshmallow flavor of the day.
Say, how do you become a marshmologist? I'm thinking of a career change...
I'm not really one for birthday surprises. It might be because most surprises I've had haven't been the fun kind...BUT if you were to surprise me, it better include either dogs, swimming, or s'mores. This backyard s'mores birthday party is one of the happiest things I can imagine (unless you added the dogs and the swimming into the mix). And what a great excuse to have birthday marshmallows!
I'm going to head out now to purchase s'mores fixins for tonight. A stovetop will have to be my flame of choice (maybe post-Supermoon viewing?), but if you have access to an actual fire - devour a slightly charred s'more for me, will you?
It's summer which means living in a t-shirt (and sometimes I even remember to put pants/skirts on to accompany them.) Not long ago I posted some of the tees that felt like me, but I recently have come across a new crop (yet none of them cropped) to share.
Egads! The 1st of the month passed and I forgot to post my 1st of the Month Cute Animal Video. Luckily, I've got a doozy of 'dorableness to make up for it.
They say that in life you should take time to smell the roses. There's a reason it instructs to sniff roses instead of singling out one of the many other small pleasures in life.
There is nothing more royal, romantic, and classic than the rose. So why save them for Valentine's Day? I'm finding that roses, thorns and all, should be making daily appearances in our lives.
My rose renaissance began when I discovered this LUSH body conditioner. I really took to heart the smelling of the roses. I'm not joking - I could not resist sniffing my arm for a good portion of the day - which made me look like a kook, but I smelled DIVINE. The scent of rose and almond remains with you long after the shower, plus your skin will feel petal soft.
Being that one tub is on the expensive side, I opted for a gift collection in order to test out the body conditioner in a smaller size, along with other related products.
Due to its timeless scent and soothing qualities, you can find rose as a main ingredient in many beauty brands. I'm hoping to try some of the Korres line using wild rose.
How gorgeous are these recycled paper creations from Lille Syster? It makes me want to have a party just to strew garlands, bouquets, and blossoms across my entire apartment.
I am so happy it is summer as it felt like a long time coming, but it has been too...darn...hot! My body has not been able to handle the heat and humidity of the city this year. Maybe it would be different if I was leading a life of leisure, lounging from hammock to hammock, but these last few months have been crammed with work and events, which means a lot of commuting and constant running around. I'm amazed at how fellow asphalt dwellers appear to be in a sweat-free state, as if they were gazing off a balcony in Capri, white wine spritzer in one hand, while I look to be unsuccessfully climbing the slopes of Mount Doom to rid myself of an evil ring. Even the Orcs look more relaxed and comfortable than LuRuSo.
Basically me in NYC, late May-early September
Once I've returned to my non-AC apartment, I must take all measures to make my surroundings chiller, as my Scandinavian/Irish roots inherently crave. Thus, the oven stays off and I'm focused on creating cooling and hydrating treats that take little effort to produce and offer maximum satisfaction. I can think of nothing more appropriate as the combo of fruit and booze. In college, I could often be found with a "flavor injector" in my grasp, trying to sauce up some strawberries or pump a watermelon full of vodka.
Sober Watermelon
As often is the case, The Baker Chick seemed to be reading my mind and posted a refreshing and slightly boozy seasonal dessert the same day I was battling the summer sauna.
This fruit medley was incredibly easy to throw together. You can cater to your own fruit preferences, with berries, melons and tropical options all pairing well with the rum. As written, the alcohol really just gives a hint of flavor, so if you want to bring out the mojito side of the recipe, get a little heavy handed with the bottle.
Years ago, I worked at a summer stock theatre in Vermont that had a cute counter cafe directly across from campus (RIP, PK!). I owned a car at the time and after the show had opened, I'd spend my mornings driving aimlessly until I found some source of nature (not too hard to do in Vermont). Once I'd reached a destination, I would explore til exhausted and then have a private picnic at the end of my journey where I'd read the recently released final Harry Potter book and eat whatever I had picked up from the cafe. Not long into this routine, the counter person suggested I try their double berry shortcake with Chantilly cream. Well, if you know me you know they didn't have to offer twice. And after tasting the mighty scrumptious dessert, that was my lunch every single day. I was lucky the show only ran two weeks...
This is my homage to that counter cake with a little more fruit and a little more kick.
Triple Berry Rhubarb Shortcake with Grand Marnier Chantilly Cream
That's a mouthful. Not only the title, but the actually dessert. I used THIS recipe for easy drop biscuits, but you could take it to the next level and bake actual shortcakes. For the berries, I mixed strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries in a bowl and let them macerate with a spoonful of sugar (depending on the tartness of said berries) and the juice of half a lemon. The Chantilly cream is simple: split a vanilla bean and scrape the "caviar" into a bowl of 1 pint heavy whipping cream. Let sit in the fridge for a few hours. Add sugar to taste (1-2 Tbsps) and a couple splashes of Grand Marnier and beat until it resembles whipped cream! Try not to eat it all straight out of the bowl, if possible. Listen, I don't even like whipped cream that much, but this stuff is heaven. I think I'm going to start putting it on my kale and quinoa. The last component was a strawberry rhubarb compote that I smeared across the biscuits, but that step is optional. Assemble as you wish, and enjoy.
Sangria. I was thinking of changing the name of this blog to More Sangria Please. I really...I mean, I don't even know how to explain my love for sangria. It's perfect. I have a basic go to red RECIPE that is always a crowd pleaser, but lately I've been fiddling with various incarnations - rosรฉ with berries, cherry-infused ruby red, and sparkling white grapefruit. I used THIS Peach and Strawberry Sangria recipe as a base for one July version. It was sweet yet refreshing and everyone was digging to catch every last fruit morsel in their drinks.
But wait - there's more.
This sangria kept on giving. Somehow, we managed not to finish the entire carafe in one sitting and later on the next day, we all had a craving for some more sangria. Since this was a sweeter variety, thoughts went to dessert, and a new concoction was born:
A Sangria Float!
(just add a generous scoop of really good vanilla ice cream)
The next time you are feeling a little overheated, I suggest you turn to any of these creations in order to instantly feel cool, calm, and collec--er...well, maybe just those first two.
I'm not a hot dog connoisseur, per se. It's hard to attain that level when you've spent 20+ years of your life refusing to eat them. It all started when Mrs. Anderson informed our first grade class what they were made of. That shock lasted awhile until I moved to a town that celebrates them, not only on National Hot Dog Day but as a symbol of the city, and I could no longer resist. Plus, they go SO well with beer. Sorry, Mrs. Anderson!
If you are in NYC, I recommend you grabbing a dog from any of these fine establishments:
If you are going to grill one up at home, I plead with you to soak it in beer first. Because...BEER!
To really get in the hot dog mood, you can sing one of my favorite campfire songs pre and post consuming.
By the way, when looking for a Youtube clip of I Know a Weenie Man, I came across a LOT of people attempting to sing it - which was a whole new level of entertainment.
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but I'm not confident I could truly rock that 1987 look. I'm always happy with a whipped up top knot or milkmaid braids (in fact, both have been my summer staples thus far), but here are some other suggestions if you are willing to get a little creative. These ideas should last you through at least a few eons of summers.
5-Minute Hairstyles - Refinery29
The Gnarly Whale Beach Waves Hair Spray - Urban Outfitters
OGX Moroccan Sea Salt Spray - Drugstore.com
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