Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

I interrupt this food-themed week of blog posts to bring you...

THE BEST NEWS TO TAKE PLACE ON A TUESDAY EVENING--EVER!

As if my fashion-related posts weren't getting you into enough trouble already...

Shabby Apple (you know, the fabulous online dress retailer) is having a giveaway through the fabulous blogger Betty Beguiles!

Fabulousness abounds!

I think that the only way to make this all better would be to add ice cream.

Does that make this post food-related? I think so.

I'll share the love with you all; access the contest here!

Organizing Memories

My wonderful Grandma passed away in 2007. She was so full of love that thinking about her always brings a fond memory to mind and a bit of a heavy feeling in your heart from missing her.

However, Grandma was also plotting trouble. I know this because I have been tasked with organizing this trouble.

You see, Grandma could cook.

Not like how everyone's grandma cooks well. She was GOOD.

Every once in a while, I'll be walking somewhere, catch a whiff of SOMETHING, and it just TAKES OVER.*

"Brain no function on task. Must get food."

These scents that remind me of her great food, cooked with love, have this way of stopping me dead in my tracks.

Anyway, her recipes are those you want to treasure, document, learn, and make every Sunday. Like any good chef, she had flexibility. She worked from a variety of source materials to make her traditional and new creations: cookbooks, recipe cards, squares of recipes scraps ripped from magazines, video tapes of celebrity chefs' creations, and good, ol'-fashioned memory.

It is now my duty to finally buckle down and organize all the recipes. This means I must look through every single page, including those I believe were put there to sabotage the whole project (i.e., the handwritten, very faded and frequently illegible notes that are also apparently recipes).

As I begin this task, sometimes I think Grandma knew I would never be able to read every item. "Is this a recipe for gravy or the directions to the mechanic?" Looking at a relatively new 3X5 with very faded writing I wondered, "Was she trying to hold the pencil two feet away from the note card while writing, slipped, and accidentally got some words on there? Was she trying to write it from the underside? Why is it so faded?!"

Some don't even have measurements, just random ingredients taunting you. I bet Grandma was thinking, "Ha! Just try to guess how much ricotta to put in that cheesecake!"

Alas, I guess that isn't too bad, really. Most of the recipes will make their way into a family "cookbook," and some will just forever be associated with her memory and the sneak-attack aromas.

How should I do all of these memories justice? I mentioned a family "cookbook," but I'm honestly not sure how to best organize everything. Do I do it scrapbook style? Take it into Kinkos? Something fancier? All thoughts are appreciated!


*You know how serious I am because of the prevalence of all caps.

Blogging With a Side of Catsup

Welcome to my first themed week of blogging!

By opening this page, you have invited yourself into a week of adventure, romance and mystery!

Bet you didn't know what you were getting into.

The blog theme this week will be...FOOD!*

I will be discussing various food topics this week that have been on my mind and part of my life.

Recently, I have come across more people who choose to blog about food full time. While I might spend a whole lot of my time thinking about food, and part of my time writing about food, I don't know if I could make food blogging my job.

But when you have such passion for food, I guess you can't not share it with the world. That's why I really enjoy reading and following blogs of multiple food perspectives, like...

Foodimentary

Smitten Kitchen

Fooducate

Kelly the Kitchen Kop**

and the local TasteFresno

I hope this week you do find the adventure, romance and mystery you unexpectedly stumbled upon here. You may also find a recipe or two you like, or a blog you'd like to follow.

Just make sure to chew before swallowing.


*You can pretend to be surprised if you want, but I'm not hurt if you weren't.

**Don't be upset with the misspelling of "cop." It took me some time to get over, but the site is definitely worth a visit and your forgiveness.

Unpretentious Dress

I wanted to take this Fashion Friday to discuss something pretty important to me: dressing modestly.

I'm not going to lecture anyone reading this. If you were ever a teenage girl (which applies to maybe, I don't know, half of my readers), you've probably been lectured to, at least once in your life, by your mom/grandma/other authority figure about modesty.*

Instead, I want to help you make modest dressing a reality.**

Today, I want to discuss--naturally--the clothes. Too often, I don't know where to look for the modest pieces I have in mind. Too often, I've walked into a store, found a great piece (say, a navy, V-neck, cotton, seemingly-knee-length cocktail dress--just for example) and discovered when putting it on that it would be appropriate only when swimming. And, too often I've looked for modest clothing, but the retailers have only supplied "dumpy" or "tent-like" clothing.

You ladies know this struggle.

So, I wanted to help you find garb you won't have to second guess, and won't make you self conscious.

I know I've already linked to Shabby Apple, the modesty-focused women's online dress retailer, but here are some other online retailers to cover your basic modest fashion needs.

Shade Clothing

DownEast Basics

Sweet Innocence Dresses

Christa Taylor

I seriously have dozens of thoughts and resources on modest fashion, and it will be a topic I revisit often. In the meantime, do you have any go-to modest retailers? Or, thoughts about modesty in general?


I do not receive compensation from any of these retailers.

*If you were ever a teenage boy, and this was a prime issue of discontent for you, let me know. I'm curious about guy's struggles with modesty, or how they feel about "modesty."

**To me, there's a lot more to modesty than selecting the right clothes versus the wrong clothes. It's really a mindset. Modesty is about understanding your worth. It's about helping people see you, and not getting distracted by the clothes you've halfway wrapped yourself in. It's really a topic that I enjoy discussing from many practical perspectives. (A couple resources discussing modesty that I found helpful/interesting are here and here.)

The Rosary

Last night, Stephen and I attended the rosary for the a family friend we lost last week.

The rosary is such a beautiful prayer that most times I begin to pray it, I get mad at myself for not making more time to pray it.

It's a good thing.

So, partly because I am attending the funeral this morning, and partly because I want to share the rosary with those unfamiliar with it (or those who could afford to learn more about it), here are a few resources that may be helpful for you.

How to pray it

A brief history

A discussion

Some not-so-FAQs about the rosary

And if you're a prayer, please pray for the family and the repose of the soul of Dexter Aquino. I know they appreciate it--and so do I.

Apple-ing Games to Life

At the beginning of the week, I didn't think that I'd discuss board games more than once. In fact, I didn't think I'd write about them at all.

But, it's only Wednesday, and here's time #2.*

Brother-in-law and girlfriend (a.k.a. Adam and Heather) came over for dinner yesterday. We decided after dinner to play Apples to Apples (which is never not fun). If you're not familiar with it, you can learn more here.

However, to those already versed in the rules, you know what I mean when I say it is not a strategy game; it is a game of knowing your neighbors.

While playing it with strangers or new friends can be fun all on its own (unless you are competitive, in which case it is frustrating), playing with people who you reportedly "know well" will either confirm you in that belief or make you question how the two of you got along in the first place.

It's really fun to learn little things about your family and friends in games like this. I, for example, learned a long time ago that Stephen will never select the card that is most accurate. He plays "Apples to Apples opposite," his own version of the game. With him, irony wins. He doesn't end up with good cards, but that's OK with him.

You learn who the sore winners are ("In your face!"), and the sore losers ("What?!? Not catnip/Gladiators/Al Sharpton?!?")

You also learn that you enjoy laughing at these reactions.

Hilarity in general.

But anyway, learning these little things about the people in your life is nice. I guess that sometimes we need stuff like board games to do that.

Do you have any experience with this game? Can you think of another "bonding" game? I'd love to hear about it!


*I should really stop trying to predict what I am going to write about. One of these days, I'll have to take you readers through my blog-posting process.

Special Delivery: Stress

I came home from work on Friday to a special delivery.

My apartment complex called me up at work, informing me that two packages had come for me.

Since I had ordered two skirts (which are fabulous in real life!!), I figured they each arrived at the same time. Sweet!

However, they arrived with a friend.

I opened up the first package and it was the two skirts that I had ordered--together.

My delight was greeted with sudden curiosity.

"What did 'bonus package' have in it?" I wondered. "A treat?"

No. It had responsibility.

It was someone else's order. A violet swimsuit waiting to head to its destined home in Columbus, Ohio, to Taryn B. The package had erroneously been sent my-a-way.*

My immediate reaction was "Uh-oh! They sent it to me by mistake. Sillies! Surely the company will fix this!"

Then I realized, the company likely have no idea, and it is up to me to fix this mess. Taryn B. is in need of her vintage-inspired purple product, and must unknowingly rely on a fellow consumer with plucky enthusiasm to make things right.

After calling the company, they told me how to get a free return label on their Website with no shipping cost to me. I'll package the suit up and should be able to get it shipped out this week. Then, it's up to the company to get it to the proper owner.

I can only wish Taryn B. luck.

Have you been saddled with this responsibility before? How did you handle it?


*Without naming names, some people in my life are trying to get me to just keep it. Bad role models.

Weekend Revelations

In revelations that seem to come all at once (remember X Does Not Equal Y)?, I have learned much more about life.

Busy weekend.

Here's what I will share:

Always make sure to dust before opening up old cookbooks.

When cleaning your kitchen, make sure to not leave freshly-cut cantaloupe exposed.

Air conditioning is absolutely necessary in a second-story apartment in Fresno on a July afternoon. No matter how strong you think you are, you will be broken.

Mint juleps are potent. Be prepared.

I am not a fan of strategy games when I do not know the strategy ahead of time (see here). Also, I am not a fan of strategy games that go on for two-and-a-half hours. Ever.

While bug bites may not have the same social stigma as zits, they are, in fact, just as annoying. And, seven times itchier.

There is no getting around waiting at the DMV. Even its Website is in no hurry to help you.

When you are waiting for something, it just takes longer to get here.

Summer--and tomato season--means that I get to make awesome stuff like this.

It is really important to stay close to family.

Any weekend revelations you'd like to share? I'd love to hear 'em!

Hats Off

That's right folks: the intuition that tells you my cheesy title reflects what I'm going to talk about today is spot on!

I have the smartest readers around.

I think that the dissolution of hats in modern society is a huge bummer for us all.* Not a generation ago, hats were a staple of everyday life, making their way into the urban, suburban and rural communities. The farm worker and the president each relied on the hat for their jobs.

Now that is breaking down barriers.

But just look at what the world is like now: Fashion suffers because there are fewer accessorizing options. Our hair gets bleached. The sun gets in your eyes.

It's nearly tragic.

Since I love me some vintage styling, I have linked you to some fine vintage-based modern options (other than a baseball cap when you're dashing off to a haircut) to help repair the void hat-absence has left. Here's a brief list of generally enjoyable head gear**:

Hat 1

Hat 2

Hat 3

Hat 4

And here's a vintage video with some of the stars of yesteryear wearing their millinery best. It's pretty fun.

Have a hat-full weekend in the heat!

P.S. I'm not alone!


*Stephanie, we need to "bring hats back!" (*snickers*)

**No, not that type of head gear. Sorry to give you scary orthodontist flashbacks.

French Failure

So, I think this might be failure week.

I was planning on having a French-themed week soon to give me a chance to talk about the beauty, the culture and the country that has entrapped the world's sense of romance. Good times, I thought.

Alas, because I didn't look at my calendar ahead of time, I have missed the perfect opportunity to share such a week.

Chalk that up to busy married life I guess. I really need to get on the ball.

Having totally missed Bastille Day, I am going to try to give you an idea of why France is in my top five places I'd like to visit list. And since I am doing this on an equally important French holiday,* I know you will enjoy.

The French live in a country full of history, and, in particular, religious history (which is a big plus for me). My first stop would be here, followed by this place. Wouldn't it be cool to swim in the healing waters of Lourdes?

The French get to eat great food. They also get to have great food named after them--and drinks, too! They also don't gain any weight from eating said food, which makes me quite jealous indeed. At least we can eat off of something like this, and if you live in Fresno you can eat here or here.

The French sleep a certain way and exercise a certain way--and it's all better than how America does it! Their fashion history is unparalleled** (although we can try to dress as well as they do), and their musicians (though lived through tragedy), were awesome.

Honestly, even their homes look better than ours.

While they may have a distaste for others, and some Americans (and English) say we are justified in a distaste for them, the French, the English and the Americans can all agree on this.

See, wasn't that fun? Sorry again that I missed the opportunity to make it more politically meaningful for you.

You now have two missions: 1) find me a personal assistant that can keep me abreast of the calendar, since I seem to be unable to do so on my own, and 2) go have yourself some eclairs!


*The Ides of July, natch. Who says the Romans are the only ones who can celebrate the middle of the month?

**I had too many Chanel links to fit into the post; find more fun info here and here.