jessica mcdougall

A family outing to the park - and swinging in the sunshine.

Delicious Eclat Chocolate. (Thanks Suzi!)

Sitting front row at Lore Emelio's Charlotte Garden Party show. Love her shoes!

And red lips to feel fancy. (I need to do this more!)

Homemade chicken pot pie

Inspires an outfit 

1. Oversized Technical Taffeta Tote 2. Go Ahead Pumps 3. Bateau Neck Dress 4. Double Breasted Trench Coat 5. Rooster Necklace 6. Solid Opaque Tights in Cobblestone 7. Silk Twilly 8. Classic Aviator Sunglasses

And fills the cheeks of little one.

I've wanted to make fresh pesto for some time. I can now cross it off my list. And it turned out wonderful! (Special thanks to a simple basil pesto recipe and my friend, Cusinart!) I served it with sliced (poached) chicken and some Cipriani pasta.

Jeffrey and I had a good laugh because as we were talking pesto, we both remembered (at the exact same time) the sandwich I always used to pick up before flights in the airport Starbucks - a sandwich that he then came to love. It was a turkey/pesto/dried cranberry baguette that was amazing. They stopped carrying it a couple years ago. I may have to reinvent my own version!

Love orange. Love Heidi Merrick.  

Dear Spring,

We cannot wait for are patiently awaiting your arrival.

Thinking of you,

Jessica's sandals.

Loved Portland's Ace Hotel in the Pearl District. Ali and I were a little unsure when we arrived to offsite parking and no bellman to help us - with two cars full of luggage and three kids, but we decided to rough it out and make it work.

So many chic little details that make this hotel cool, like dark but calming hallways.

And actual keys with dog tags.

There are hipsters in the lobby sipping their Stumptown Coffee. (Gabrielle made friends!)

And you can step into the lobby photobooth.

Fun.

Much of the decor is very Burberry Prorsum Fall 2010 RTW (which I LOVE).

I ordered room service from Clyde Common after Gabrielle fell asleep one night - and had to laugh out loud when this arrived as my $15 "fruit, cheese, and bread tray."

And here's the "bottled water." 

Next time, I'll just head downstairs to Kenny & Zuke's.

Salami and eggs, anyone?

This was a nice place to call home for the week.

We loved looking out to the city and watching life move by.

Gabrielle and I had a wonderful mommy and me trip out West to visit family - and ended up extending our stay for an additional week so she could get over her slight cold before the return flight home. Our home away from home was first at my sister's house in Eugene, Oregon, and then at Portland's Ace Hotel (more on its greatness in my next post).

After several hours of flying cross country, Gabrielle and I got in the rental car for a cruise down I-5. A drive between Portland and Eugene would not be complete without a stop at my favorite pizza parlor in the country, Pietros! I called ahead and picked up a small pepperoni and mushroom pizza to enjoy during the remainder of the drive. Delicious.

This little one wasn't doing too good. With long flights + new timezone + big black dog + new environment + new foods + new bed + no papa + no Bruna + a cough that she caught on the flight, she just wasn't herself.

I took her to an urgent care center in Eugene and the doctor said not to give her any meds. I decided to ramp up her water intake and try to give her as much rest as possible.

But who wants to rest with this little beauty to play with?

Ali was a great host to us - and took us to some of her favorite places in Eugene including Ruthie B's and Marche at the 5th Street Market.

I had the cauliflower and blue cheese soup with a croque monsieur.

And a cup of hot tea.

Little lovelies for Valentine's Day.

Happy to have had this Loved by Us image created by Kal for sweet Gabrielle.

Oh how I love her so. 

Jeffrey's new Ace of Sales program can help you create your email magazine. Check it out!

Sweet little tea bags. 

Delightful Hammond's ribbon candy.

Beautiful detailing on Max Azria's reptile-print tunic.     

I love the new Coke size.

A laugh for the day (courtesy of The New Yorker Book of Mom Cartoons).

And I'm loving this song today. Go tell someone you love them!

We had a great dinner at Altlanta Fish Market with the public seminar staff for Jeffrey's birthday.

Cheers!

Jeffrey got to have his favorite - dungeness crab.

And I had salmon - prepared Hong Kong Style, served over spinach and white sticky rice.

Since it was a bit late for Gabrielle, we employed the video player and headphones at dinner to help her make it through the event. I think she had a better time than we did!

And following Jeffrey's seminar, we hopped in a car to be driven home from Atlanta (flights canceled) and made it just in time for the start of the snowfall. Happy to wake up to this winter wonderland this morning!

Little yum yums for sampling at Dean and Deluca.

Feta and pink peppercorn bread dip (amazing and it comes from the Pacific Northwest - yahoo!) and Larzaroni Bruschette chips.

And two of my favorite confections. 

Took an afternoon walk to Phat Burrito.

Gabrielle is now at the stage of eating where she can share meals with mama. Lucky her!

I love to laugh out loud.

And this caption totally did it for me. Thanks Allison Lehman.

In other delightful news, all things Tillamook Cheese are making me smile - especially their posts on Facebook (like "Tillamook® Cheese is putting a little loaf in your heart. Figuratively, at least. Technically, it should go in your mouth, then your stomach. You know what I mean.") and their Loaf Love tour. If you have ever been to their factory in Tillamook, Oregon, (I've been many times and I LOVE their cheese) you know that it's kind of a "cheesy" (pun intended) and dated place. How they're using creativity and the Internet to build their brand deserves a big high five!

It was a nice treat to feel the warm sunshine in Palm Beach, Florida, last week.

We took a stroll from the Atlantic Ocean 

past Louis Vuitton (loved this window display)

to the beautiful shops on Worth Avenue.

I was able to enjoy a spritz of one of my favorite fragrances at Chanel.

I was so excited to have a chance to visit Bonpoint - the delicate and delightful French children's clothier. It's on my must see list for our trip to Paris. I took advantage of their 50% off sale and got some sweet little garments for Gabrielle.

I had no idea they had locations in the area.

We continued the walk around Worth Ave area and down A1A.

At the end of our walk I saw Hamburger Heaven in the distance. So we took a chance on lunch. I figured any restaurant in the neighborhood must be decent based on the surrounding home sites. And I was correct.

The homemade chili was delicious. (Doesn't the paper doilie make it fancy?!)

The salad was fresh and crisp.

And Gabrielle got lucky

because Bruna shared her bacon and cheddar quiche!

Jeffrey gave two great seminars and feasted on a meatball sandwich afterward at Brewzzi.

Gabrielle practicing for her meatball sandwich.

And we had a wonderful family supper with several of the Pertnoy's at Raindancer Steakhouse (menu above). Definitely recommend it if you're in the West Palm Beach area.

We returned home to carpet removed from the floor (yahoo!)

And a new door opening cut for the kitchen pantry. Progress!

Here are some of the images from my kitchen inspiration board.

 

Pincer grasp is in full operation around here. Especially when there are HappyBaby Puffs in the picture.

I think I've settled on my selection (B) for the hardwood floor in our kitchen loft. A is ebony. B is ebony with water pop. C is the sanded floor. D is the original. Amazing what a little stain can do!   

And this just makes me want to get dressed up. 

Followed Martha Stewart's instructions for perfect hardboiled eggs after searching online for how to get the yolk just right (instead of with any grey or green tinge). Her method worked perfectly.

Gabrielle discovering the details of her dress.

Another successful meal from the slow cooker book. This time, it's beef lo mein. I substituted fresh vegetables for the frozen ones they recommended. It turned out delicious and is great for leftovers.

And I'm pretty sure I think this every time Chanel comes out with a new nail color, but Particuliere is amazing. It is the perfect for the transition to warm weather I'm hoping is just around the corner. It's too cold here! 

Had this tucked away in an old binder of "thoughts." A good personal reminder to let it go.

I LOVED seeing this photo in Baby Couture magazine. So fun to imagine what goes through the mind of a traveling kid. And there are exciting trips that we're planning for 2010 where we'll be bringing Gabrielle along for the ride. It just so happens that Jeffrey has been booked for two seminars in Europe on the weeks surrounding Gabrielle's first birthday (what are the odds?), so we're hoping to show her the Eiffel Tower to celebrate!

Here are some new ideas for wearing colored tights. Thanks Lucky.

We have been drinking so much Simply Lemon/Limeade around here, I had to do something to spice it up a bit. I added fresh cut strawberries and a homemade strawberry puree (that I whipped up in the Beaba Babycook), and stuck in the retro barber striped paper straws. A delightfully refreshing beverage for an extra chilly day. Cheers!

Suzi from Nesting recommended I visit Amelie's - A French Bakery (in Charlotte's NODA district) and I am so happy she did. What a delightful little spot to have a meal or meet with a friend.

When we walked in, Gabrielle was checking out all the pastries and I wanted to say "I'll have whatever is cooking" because the smell was incredible.

I decided on the Sandwich Jambon (thinly sliced ham on a buttered baguette) with added gruyere cheese and a lemonade. And brought home two cream puffs and a sourdough loaf to share with Jeffrey.

And they have this delightful chandelier hanging in the foyer that I'm having Brend Ische of Ische Interiors recreate for our kitchen!

I believe this a mother's dream.

We had a great dinner of veal osso buco (recipe in comments). I'm still on the slow cooker kick!

There are homemade cookies (chocolate mint) in the cookie jar. 

Little Gabrielle had a great day. She's now bathed and sleeping peacefully. 

My new bookcase is built (thanks Jeffrey!) and ready to be filled. The dishes and laundry are done. All my thank you notes are written and stamped.

And it's only 6:26PM! Now I can get to WORK!

Gabrielle, my love, YOU are the highlight of my 2009.

And today's brisket sandwiches were a close second!

I got the urge to do all kinds of fun cooking this past week!

Little candy cups (that looked lovely in the vintage white custard cups I found on Etsy)...

to hold pineapple mousse.

Crockpot meatballs for meatball sandwiches.

So happy that Jeffrey LOVED this dish. (See comments on this post for the recipe I used.)

And you can't go wrong with fresh banana pudding garnished with crushed Nilla wafers served in the sweetest little Tamiko sugar bowls from Crate and Barrel.

Hot tea and cookies for Jeffrey after a long day. It's nice to have a little stove in our resort room to make this happen! Jeffrey's tea of choice is darjeeling with Pepperidge Farm Gingerman cookies. My favorite is the white tangerine tea they serve at PF Changs and fresh baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. What kind of cookie are you?

We are also snacking on this edamame caviar that Jeffrey picked up at the Innisbrook Resort. Definitely going to recreate this at home.

And here's a look at the world from Gabrielle's perspective (courtesy of my iPhone).

Two baby items I love right now. 1. Funkie Baby bibs. Funkie Baby Soak Proof Reversible Bibs measure 13"x10" and feature a unique 3 layer design: a funky cotton print front, a soft, soak proof lining hidden in the middle and a solid or print cotton back. Perfect from drooling to eating, fits ages 3 months to 3 years, machine wash and dry over and over.....Proudly made in the U.S.A. 2. Sassy Mealtime Teething Feeder. Perfect for home or travel, the Teething Feeder is a great way to give your baby whole, fresh, age appropriate foods, while reducing the risk of choking.  The unique "chill" feature in the Teething Feeder handle and the convenient storage cap help keep foods fresh while traveling with baby.  

I also love being able to dress Gabrielle in gear to support her papa's teams! I've been waiting to put this one on her. Thanks to Dr. Menaker and the team at Smile Charlotte for sending us this Philadelphia Eagles shirt (and her Philadelphia Phiilies onesie) for Gabrielle (and Jeffrey)!

Food is on my mind this week!

I love how this sweet little egg custard came out. I added the berries and fresh whip cream. This dessert is one of Jeffrey's favorites - so I've been working to perfect it!

Here's the fashion version of my above dessert! (Photograph by Steven Meisel for Italian Vogue.)

And tonight I put Gabrielle up to the mirror after her bath so she could sit and reach out for herself. It's so incredible to witness her discover life. Definitely makes me thankful!

Gabrielle went for the bites of banana. (And had some avocado too!)

And I love this idea from Cookie for roasted cranberries and pears.

I found this Sprout organic baby food yesterday at Whole Foods in Las Vegas. 

Gabrielle loved it and I was ready to eat it myself - it tasted that good. I'm checking out their website today and looks like there are all kinds of other delicious options. 

 

And the first time I saw these Boogie Wipes I thought "Cute name, unnecessary product." But Ali told me how great they are, so I picked up a package and now I'm so glad that I did because I have a cold and I'm using them myself. They have just a hint of saline in them and a nice refreshing scent - a much better alternative to rough, drying tissues!

We're nearing the end of our visit to the Seattle area - departing tomorrow for Las Vegas. What an incredible time it's been to be here and see family and great friends, enjoy delicious food, see the sights, and be thankful for where I grew up.

This is a wonderful time of year to visit because you can experience all kinds of weather.

I'm grateful that in addition to the stormy, rainy days...

the sun did shine!  

I got to look out on the city of Seattle from the Space Needle and say to myself, "Wow, what a beautiful and delightful place." And I'm glad to have gotten to share it with Bruna, and Lourdes, Belen and Thadeo who made the trip to Seattle to join in the fun.

Feast your eyes on these.

Fresh strawberries at Tacoma Boys.

A grilled ham sandwich at Urbane.

Jeffrey's short rib roll at Urbane.

Refreshing lemonade.

A Beecher's grilled cheese and fresh salad.

Arguably Seattle's best pizza at Italian Spaghetti House on Lake City Way.

Italian salad served family style.

And there's nothing more delightful than an orange sherbet finish.

Guacamole at Cactus on Alki Beach.

The football-size meat calzone.

Simple side salad.

Hot, fresh, mini donuts!

Incredible color inspiration at Pike Place Market.

Leeks.

And Gabrielle will have one banana puff, please.

What a delightful day! Your first Halloween. 

I dressed you in your "Bad TUTU the Bone" costume to go with Hip (Mama) Bone and Milk (Bruna) Bone. You loved the fluffy neon yellow tutu. I found it while shopping with Grandma and Grandpa on your first trip to South Park Mall after you were born. When I saw the tutu, I didn't know what would ever come of it - but this is better than any vision I could have imagined. I paired the tutu with the skeleton pajamas and challenged Jeffrey to come up with a name for it. Your papa is brilliant.

Your cousins Henry (Buzz Lightyear), Lucy (monkey), Simon (Harry Potter), and Anna (sleeping monkey) were such great companions for your first trick or treating adventure on Proctor Street in Tacoma, Washington. Grandpa Al and Grandma Pati accompanied all of us and we returned to Uncle John and Aunt Liz's home after the outing for homemade chili and mac and cheese with popcorn balls and caramel apples. 

You were such a splendid baby the entire day. And before we left for the drive home, Bruna and I put you into your Halloween pajamas (thanks Liz and Lucy!) and you smiled and cooed and were happy as can be. I love you to pieces, Gabrielle.

It's good to be home.

Gabrielle has already made the rounds to all Grandpa's favorite grocery stores here in Federal Way, Washington, including Fred Meyer...

Metropolitan Market...

And H Mart (where they have BEAUTIFUL produce).

We took a walk at the Redondo waterfront. Isn't this an incredible hedge? I just kept waiting for Alice and the Madhatter to come hopping out of this hole.

Food is always a highlight of visiting my parents. Everything is always fresh and delicious. This is a blue cheese and pear salad  topped with parsley and matsutake mushrooms that my mom and dad handpicked in Oregon.

Shrimp and vegetable pasta.

Enjoying the vistas of Mt. Rainier while driving.

And yay for Papa's Phillies! We miss him but know he is happy tonight with the win!

It doesn't get old waking up to this view.

On our last day in San Francisco, we woke up early and walked to the Ferry Building Marketplace.

Gabrielle loves walks!

My mom and I enjoyed a bacon & gruyere brioche.

And Gabrielle enjoyed Grandma Pati!

And watching the trolleys roll by.

Grandma Pati babysat Gabrielle in the afternoon so Jeffrey and I could get out and film some videos in the city for his SUCCESS magazine video blog.

Another candy store! This one, in San Francisco's Union Square district is the best in the city. Here's the review from SF Weekly:

This minuscule shop, no bigger than a walk-in closet, packs an amazing amount of style, not to mention British and European sweets, into its limited space. More than 140 different candies, from mass-market bars to brightly colored hard and chewy candies that line the shelves in black-topped glass jars, are sold from a marble-topped counter under arts-and-crafts lanterns.

Incredible branding and packaging. Great selection. British (and Scottish!) candies. Delightful!

Excited to be heading home to the Pacific Northwest.

Saturday morning began with a walk over to the San Francisco Modern Museum of Art (where they do not reciprocate with NYC MOMA memberships by the way).

While waiting for the museum to open, Grandma Pati, Gabrielle, and I browsed around the SFMOMA Museum Store (aka I found some books I liked and then ordered them from Amazon.com for much cheaper via my iPhone).

This was a purchase I could not resist. I thought it was incredible when I first saw it, but after I picked it up (there were two on the shelf) there was no way I was leaving the store without it. The date of The New York Times used to create this clutch was April 12, 2009 - and that just happens to be my lucky day. April 12, 1995 was when I successful, emergency spinal cord surgery and April 12, 2005 was the day I met Jeffrey.

The feature at SFMOMA was a Richard Avedon retrospective, featuring more than 200 of his portraits and iconic images of models, artists, and musicians. I took Gabrielle right up to many of the pictures so she could look into the eyes of the subjects. Totally incredible to witness. And what a beautiful exhibit of testament to Avedon's brilliance and skill.

After the walk back to the hotel, the ladies (Grandma Pati, Gabrielle, Jessica) left Jeffrey at the hotel (with a kiss goodbye!) for an adventure to Fillmore Street, in search of the rest of the baby boutiques on Cole's list. We made our way over to Chestnut in search of more baby stores, and I was overjoyed to see this sign on the street...

I've been wanting to visit Miette since I saw their website several years ago! I've had a lifelong dream to own my own candy store, so I'm always interested in how others do it. This store is extra special both in its branding and selection. I was happy to see that their website is a good representation of their physical stores. We also visited Sweet Dish where I picked up a delightful vintage milk glass candy dish and a small bag of candy corn.

And how great that just across Chestnut Street from Miette is Giggle - another one of my favorite baby boutiques. (I've visited the SOHO location several times and had a baby registry through their online store before Gabrielle was born.)

Dinner was at Tadich Grill (where we ate on Wednesday night as well with the staff in town for Jeffrey's seminar). The food here is delicious and it's worth the wait. (We had to wait around one hour - with an infant - both times.) On Wednesday, I shared a New York Steak with Bruna and had the shrimp and dungeness crab dinner salad. On Saturday night I shared poached salmon with my mom. I especially love their sourdough bread. I find that a loud restaurant like this one is easier with a baby because her noises blend in nicely with the rest of the crowd's noises and if she falls asleep, not many of the noises wake her because the background noise is constant.

Having my mom with us means we get to have some great family shots. Thanks Mom!

Jeffrey often shows family pictures in his talks, but it was a special surprise to see this image on the big screen at his seminar in San Francisco. Jeffrey is such an incredible presenter. And everything he talks about is inspirational and real. There's high pride in knowing him.

We headed down to Fisherman's Wharf for lunch so Jeffrey could have his favorite, not to be missed, meal in San Francisco, dungeness crab! (I especially like having crab here because we can get fresh sourdough bread at Boudin to go with it.) 

Happy boy eating crab.

We're so happy to have time to spend with Grandma Pati! I dressed Gabrielle in my mom's vintage baby dress. Yay for Grandma - especially for keeping such incredible pieces of clothing history. This dress is the most delicate and most delightful garment Gabrielle has worn.

We took a taxi from Ghirardelli Square to Union Street to do a little late afternoon shopping. I found great baby clothes at the all-organic Sprout (Thanks to Cole for the incredible list of San Francisco baby boutique recommendations!), browsed the books at Chronicle Books, and found several cute pieces at Ralph Lauren Rugby including their wool suede-patch turtleneck and their Ashby plaid flannel shirtdress.

The highlight of the evening was a nightcap at Pacific Puffs. I thought Beard Papas was good. This place is off the chart. It's a sweet little family-owned spot. We each had a mini. Pati and Jeffrey also had the fruit whip with sugar. And we took a box to go. Yum!

I was a little worried about not having a baby bathtub for Gabrielle this trip. But I've discovered that she does just fine (awesome) in a small amount of water where she can lay all the way back and kick her legs. So fun to have her on the road with us. 

Good morning, San Francisco.

Lunch at the House of Nanking on Kearny.

They serve an incredible flowering hot tea.

Gabrielle was more interested in the water.

They have delicious food.

The maintenance man at the hotel took this picture of me and Gabrielle!

Successfully surviving a 5-hour flight with a 7-month old infant is all about having the right distractions to make it comfortable and fun. 

We are staying in San Francisco in the heart of Chinatown 

at the Hilton on Kearny where Jeffrey is giving his seminars.

The view is beautiful looking out at Coit Tower and Alcatraz Island.

Late lunch/early dinner at Bristol Farms and couldn't wait to get our hands on a cream puff!

Took a walk on Market Street and around Union Square.

Stopped in the San Francisco-based Williams-Sonoma with the intention of getting a small taste of their delicious apple cider and browsing their cooking goods, and was pleasantly surprised to be informed that the founder, 94-year-old Chuck Williams, was in the store!

A glimpse of the Love and Lingerie for Lourdes bridal shower...

Cucumber salad (with ginger dressing).

 

A delightful way to serve sparkling water: in a bud vase, with straw and swirled frozen lemon.

 

Cheers!

 

Good times.

 

The dessert table.

 

Cheesecake with blueberry sauce.

Tissue paper gown for Lourdes.

Blue raspberry martinis and fruit punch.

Frozen fruit kabobs to put in the drinks.

We had dinner at Big Daddy's Burger Bar in Charlotte tonight. I'm glad I gave it a second chance (the last visit wasn't the greatest - I had a turkey burger and wasn't impressed with the flavor).

 

But this time around I chose the chicken burger with wheat bun, white cheddar, and carrots and a side of tater tots (how fun!). It was delicious.

And Gabrielle sat in a restaurant high chair for the first time!

I love red.

Yay for long hair, day two.

And YUM!

Did you know that IKEA has appliances? They are quite sleek looking. This is the microwave. 

We are getting ready to break ground on a kitchen renovation, so I've been looking at options for microwaves. I think they're the most unattractive appliance in the kitchen - so I'd love to find something that doesn't stand out. The other alternative I came across was building the microwave into the cabinets (or putting it with the undercabinets) so you don't see it at all. (I'm glad to know other people feel the same way I do about hiding their microwave.)

• Lanvin flat boots that I would love to invest in and add to my collection • The cleanest iPod speaker/charger setup I've come across. (Love that it doesn't have to be plugged in. I hate cords) • Little Hoot and all kid's books by Amy Krouse Rosenthal • The perfect baby pajamas from Gap • Sweet musical apples and pears from West Elm • Chic cleaning products from J.R. Watkins (Not sure how this brand compares to Mrs. Meyer's. Any comments?) • Delicious Back to Nature Crispy Cheddar Crackers that appear to be a healthy alternative to Cheez-Its, one of my all-time favorite snacks. They taste fresh and REAL • California Baby bubble bath for mommy and Gabrielle swimm(bath)ing time, which is the biggest delight in itself!

 
Snow (lots of it!) and dinner at Flow on Yorkville Avenue with the Microsoft crew - many of who were from Seattle. Fun to chat about the hometown and hear the word "dude" several times! The food was excellent. I had the tomato shrimp lime basil soup and Phuket lime chicken. Jeffrey and I had a quick taxi tour around the city where there was over six inches of snow. A beautiful site and nice end to the visit before landing in Cancun (can you say temperature extremes?) tomorrow.

A new city to add to my "visited" list.

Encountered an unexpected stop on today's travel itinerary, after Jeffrey and my flight was forced to land in Indianapolis because of the bad weather in Chicago, our intended first stop en route to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. So now we're having a quick steak at St. Elmo's Steakhouse in the city, a place that I've heard Jeffrey rave about many times as having "the best shrimp cocktail in the world."

And we'll head back to the private airport for a jet to Sioux Falls tonight. (Our only option to arrive in time for Jeffrey's talk tomorrow morning.)

Today is a reminder of why I like traveling so much. It's the unexpected adventure. Where you never really know what's next. Where you learn to think, adapt, and act quickly.

How fitting that my horoscope in this month's issue of Vanity Fair (that I just read today on the plane) said the following: "Take this opportunity to reflect on how mature you've become over the past two years, then go out and treat yourself to a delicious meal. When the check comes, just say, 'Screw the money. I deserve it.'"

 

I have my sister Ali to thank for introducing me to this amazing beverage a couple months ago. And now it's becoming all the rage at my office. Today we taste tested several flavors and Erika made a run to Costco to stock up. It's good for you. Little sugar. Sparkling juice. I prefer blackberry (in the can, versus the bottle) the most.

And today, I discovered that my car has an Izze Holder. Amazing. It's a cup holder between the two normal cup holders. And Izze fits perfectly. (Also Red Bull.) Delightful.

And I'm so  excited to add Ali to my list of text messaging buddies  with her recent (today) acquisition of an iPhone!

Loved this outfit that I wore during my last trip to Las Vegas. It was warm enough (almost too hot) to have just this on. And I'm really into the headband scarfs right now.

Other things I am interested in at this moment:

-Organic yogurt. At your local organic market. It has all the benefits you need. And tastes excellent. I especially like strawberry flavor. It was recommended by my friend from The Temmy Tumple. She told me it hasn't lost all the good bacteria that normal store versions have lost.

-Having friends and family come visit me in Charlotte. Ali, Chris, and Simon arrive next week and Rebekah is coming for Labor Day for a weekend stay. The anticpation of their arrival excites me. And I'm doing all kinds of fun stuff in preparation for their visit. (My hotel-lived-in life for the past two years comes in handy in knowing how to pamper visitors.)

-The Book of Secrets. This is excellent reading. So many facts and secrets you wouldn't otherwise know. Ah, just found this one under Secrets to Weight Loss. "Eating yogurt will actually help you lose weight, as the high calcium content provides a catalyst for your body to burn fat more efficiently and will actually limit the amount of fat your body will support." You can also learn The Secret of Remembering Names and The Secret History of Striptease. And at $11 on Amazon.com, it makes an excellent gift.

Ah, to be a kid again.

Being around Jeffrey's granddaughters Claudia (4) and Morgan (8) reminds me of how much fun I had when I was little. They both came over for a makeover party - where we went shopping for new outfits and they had their hair and makeup done. The evening commenced at Melting Pot (Claudia's first trip there). Her favorite was the chocolate fondue.