That Time of Year Again

Football season for an Alabama native is a big deal. I am an expat of the SEC and so I will take this moment to give my annual take on Crimson Tide Fashion.

That and you know it is bad when your 10 year old daughter says, "hey, are you EVER going to update your blog?"

So, here's to the guy that inspired it all.


And here are a few choice items for the discerning and well-healed Alabama fan!


Diane Von Furstenbug at Neiman Marcus (Hello!)


Kate Spade Lola Dress


Amy Winehouse by Fred Perry at ASOS.com (I like this one better actually)



Marc by Marc Jacobs with these perhaps.


Kate Spade Jocelyn shoes



Or Nanette Lepore dress at shopbop.com


Or get your Taylor Swift on (also Nanette)


Go Red or Go Home and Roll Tide y'all!


xo

The Berkshires

Every summer we can, we get out of the heat and head to Lake Garfield in the Berkshires. It is cool and beautiful.



We always drive and that can be a bear.















Yes, please.



One of my favorite shops is in Great Barrington, MA. It is called Asia Barong (asiabarong.com)




































And my favorite two pictures I took on the trip, in downtown Great Barrington:






Vacations rock.

Then and Now

It is that time again. I was certainly confident that I knew what I was doing the day we tied the knot. I mean check me out - I am all "I got this." I was the 2nd of my closest friends to get married and 24 years old.





17 years, four towns, three houses, three children, three dogs, one cat, a rabbit, two guinea pigs, and a bunch of fish and gray hair (his not mine!) later. . .





And that just covers the time we've been married. Love this guy even though he sometimes makes me crazy and, no doubt, visa versa. I am no picnic even on my best days but somehow it mostly works and when it isn't working so well it is definitely either my fault or his depending on who you ask!
The main thing is that I would do it all over again.

xo

Essential Beauty Items

I have been preparing, in the 11th hour per usual, for my annual trip to visit with one of my dearest friends and it got me thinking about the beauty essentials that I don't leave home without.

First up:

From http://www.anandaapothecary.com/

Milk and Honey™
For daily use, our most precious oils in a balanced blend for daily face care. Rejuvenative, cleansing and nourishing with a fantastic aroma.

In a base of Hazelnut and Rosehip Seed oil - recommended for daily use to reduce appearance of wrinkles, sun damage and scarring. Contains Helichrysum, Lavender, Sandalwood, Neroli, Carrot Seed, Rose Geranium, Roman Chamomile, Jasmine Grandiflorum, Palmarosa and Ylang Ylang #1. Rosehip seed itself has vitamin A compounds that act like natural 'Retin-A', without the side effects of excessive drying and photosensitivity.



This stuff is awesome. I get carded when I am with my 16 year old daughter or, if I am not drinking, they ask if we want one check or two. Makes her crazy but I am definitely not complaining.

Along with a little mineral foundation:



mascara (any kind), a little lip gloss (any kind) and sometimes a little eyeliner and shadow, I am good to go but not as particular about. If that changes, you'll be the next to know. The bare minerals are essential though. I love this makeup.

For cleaning I use Dr. Hauska cleansing creme. I have been using it for at least 10 years. Tried and true and essential. www.drhauska.com



For my hair, which is fine, curly (tending frizzy in this coastal climate 9 months out of the year) and colored religiously, this Morrocan Oil is hair manna from the gods. You can use it generously and you don't look like you've been attacked by a vat of whale blubber. My hair feels so silky and healthy. I never go anywhere without it. Ever. It would be a true bourgeois crisis if I left it behind. I would cry. It is excellent for all hair types or so days my hair dresser. It is that one hair product I have been waiting for all my life.



My slant tweezermans (www.tweezerman.com) - nothing else works on my Brooke Sheilds eyebrows. Also a life changing discovery back in the day.



And that is it. Those are the only 5 things that where I go, they go. Everything else is just gravy or easily bought at the corner drugstore.

Now to get over my anxiety about airport security confiscating them. I hate to check a bag for a weekend jaunt.

Have a good one!

XO