The Homecoming

All was prepped at the beach house for the girl's Thanksgiving homecoming...

Fresh linens, cleaned room, not a thing out of place...

I knew as soon as they came through the front door loaded down that that was to be short lived...

There was Longchamp after Longchamp full of dirty clothes...

What started out as organized chaos...

Quickly evolved into laptops on every surface, the washer going day and night, friends in and out and heaps of Tory Burch Revas strewn about...

But, someone in particular was very happy with the mountain of clean laundry building on Hilary's bed. Too bad the mistress eventually got around to folding and has since headed South...

Kindness of moi who has rewashed all linens, vacuumed, cleaned and tossed out dying flowers in preparation for the soon to follow Christmas homecoming. Templeton has begun his vigil on your beds and is counting down the weeks til he has his nest of laundry back...XXOO

Role Reversal

Tonight I'm stepping up as the nurse and Mummy's playing the patient. In a comedy of Thanksgiving Day errors she, first scalded her tongue on HOT chocolate, then bruised her elbow walking into a door, followed that up with slicing her finger along with the onion and brought things home by slamming her face into a chair arm when she bent down to pick something up. We've been through ice bags, pain meds and multiple bandages and I've just tucked her into bed. Let's hope she gets up on the right side tomorrow...

Kindness of Daddy M.D. who aborted his trip to Five Guys to race home and triage our patient after the knifing and tended to icing after the face plant...XXOO

Turkey Trotting

Weary feet shod in Tory Burch post running six (gold shoe) and seven (blue shoe) miles this morning in preparation for all the holiday gluttony. Wishing y'all a wonderful and family filled Thanksgiving too! Penance runs optional...

Kindness of Emma and Hilbils (who skidaddled her TB shod foot away to a friend's house pre-pic) for running in the rain with me early this am after very little sleep...XXOO

I Don't Get Out Of Bed For Less Than $10,000 A Day

Mummy says I need to start earning my keep...

Daddy needs help keeping her in shoes...

Fancy Feast, call me...

Kindness of Pilgie for at least filling, if not buying, my shoes during a very chaotic lead in to the holiday. We picked up Daddy at the train station this evening and are currently awaiting a homecoming with a certain pair of college gals about to walk through the door...XXOO

Two Halves Of One Fashion Whole

There's a reason aide-de-camp Lizzie is, well, aide-de-camp Lizzie. Much in the way Babe and I eerily think the same thoughts at all times, Lizzie and I are two halves of one fashion brain...

Case in point; the Iomoi lucite tray. Literally, the day I make a desk note to order Lizzie, ADC one as a wedding gift I get an email from her saying how she just ordered two to give as gifts and is eying up the Ling with Monkey Orange tray for herself...

Then, last week as fast as the Melissa Odabash New Collection email hit my inbox I was forwarding to my fellow M.O. acolyte:

moi -omg, getting at least one of the bandeau bikinis!

Lizzie -loooove the New York!

moi -the New York is my fav too!

Lizzie -of course!

Then a blackberry exchange in bed late Saturday night:

Lizzie -New obsession! To quote RZ (and I don't usually quote) "I die" www.roarkenyc.com

moi -omg!!! i want the le charot but can't decide which color! i kind of like the grey w/dark beading although i'm initially drawn to the emerald and navy i think this one would be more versatile. how fab would that look w/our st. james t and jeans!

Lizzie -i want the le charot in every color! i love the navy and emerald too, but my first choice would be the grey with light beading. it would look amazing with the st. james t or even just a white tee. i have to have one!

So, at any given time, in the hopeful near future, in separate locales, aide-de-camp Lizzie and I can be found dressed alike in our St. James nautical tees adorned with our Roarke New York le charots in grey. She'll have the light beading, I'll have the dark annnd we'll both still be dreaming of collecting them in every color...

Kindness of fivedaystilshe's Mrs. Casey Lawson, ADC for keeping me in the loop and allowing me to exorcise my clothing obsession without judgement. See ya Saturday night. I'll be the one in Milly and you'll be the one in all white...XXOO

Babe's Casserole Trifecta: Second Contender

Like a good hubby, Babe returned from his recent transcontinental jaunt loaded down with Belgian chocolates pour moi...

In exchange for lugging several pounds of chocolate through Europe, Asia then customs he was lovingly rewarded with his much requested Mexican lasagna upon his stateside return. Chocolates, Babe AND a post with one casserole...Who's the lucky one in this exchange?

1 1/2 lb ground beef

packet of taco seasoning

24 oz Picante sauce mixed with 2 1/2 cups water (4 cup measure works well for this)

large block of Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño, shredded

2 cups sour cream

small can chopped black olives

box lasagna noodles

Brown beef, drain and add taco seasoning and continue cooking according to packet directions. In large casserole dish cover bottom with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Layer with half the taco meat following with another layer of uncooked noodles. Repeat. Pour Picante sauce mixed with water covering entire dish. Wrap tightly with foil and cook at 350 degrees for 80 minutes. Combine sour cream and black olives. Remove foil, evenly cover with sour cream mixture then shredded cheese. Return to oven til cheese is completely melted, about 10 minutes.

You are welcome to substitute with whole wheat noodles and ground turkey in any attempts to gussie this dish up health wise. I even had a friend add two pureed veggies to my spaghetti pie. Pshaw...I'd be de-crowned as wife of the year plus I'd just be fooling myself considering I almost polished off all chocolates in a less than 48 hour period...

Kindness of Babe for knowing chocolate ranks right up there with Hermes enamel cuffs in the French-ish territory gift giving department and Melissa White for the Mexican lasagna recipe oh so many years ago...XXOO

I've Been Bitten

If it doesn't revolve around Gwynnie, Reese or Jane Austin I'm not one for test driving movies out of my preferred genre. Unless under duress, i.e. the influence of one Babe, I stick with my well dressed, well heeled, feel good family or period films. And, I am most especially sci-fi phobic...


But, leave it to Oprah to draw me into the Twilight Saga fold. Hours after watching her interview with Stephenie Meyer I was in line at Blockbuster and drinking the Bella/Edward Kool Aid...

Imagine my surprise when I get a phone call from the bff Kimba saying that she too was drawn in and devoured the first two books in the series this past week. After getting over my initial shock (she has even more rigid criteria than moi) I gathered my wits enough to secure a borrowing of the books upon her arrival to the beach next month...

Unfortunately, the New Moon will have to wait til next week when Hilbil's is home for Thanksgiving break. There ain't no way Babe would suffer through this movie. And, if he did, I would be the one doing most of the suffering...

Kindness of Oprah for luring me in, Kimba for promising to loan me her Twilight books and, moi for having the smarts to see a disaster in the making and circumnavigating it with a backup movie date...XXOO

Claim To Fame Oyster Dressing

If I were on death row, and requesting my last meal, at the very top of my list would be my family's oyster dressing. Since we are exactly a week away from Thanksgiving I thought I'd share now in hopes of giving you enough time to develop your game plan for aquiring some top notch oysters. I'll be making my yearly pilgrimage to Chincoteague with my trusty Playmate cooler for mine...

*1 pint Chincoteague oysters, drained and chopped
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cup chopped celery with leaves
1 cup butter
8-9 cups hand cubed soft bread crumbs (cheap loaves white bread works best)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage leaves (I am very generous with the sage)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (and, equally as generous with the thyme)

In a large stock pot, cook and stir onion and celery in butter until onion is translucent and tender. Turn off heat and stir in about half the amount of hand cubed bread crumbs. Turn into a deep bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Amount of bread cubes used with depend on how moist the oysters are so add in stages. Cook in a covered dish At 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

*Be sure to use quality, salty oysters (preferably Chincoteague) otherwise it's just not as delish.

Kindness of (fingers crossed) my Dad who will, hopefully, also be making his yearly pilgrimage to Chincoteague thus saving me a trip...XXOO

Rekindling My Relationship With The Fenwick Island UPS Man

Between Julie, the girls and now me again the UPS man stops by the beach house pretty close to daily...

Last week saw a delivery from the talented Meg Carter. A few lovely accoutrements for all my holiday attire...check!

The UPS man must send a page to le commandant Pilgie who is always at the ready for any package opening duties...

Next package to hit the doorstep was my deal of the century last season Milly dress. I had let this lil number slip through my fingers last winter but, tis true that good things come to those who wait cuz, I found it on The Outnet for a mere $140...

Dress for Babe's office Christmas party...check!

Doubling down on last season's Milly deals, I hit it big again finding the other party frock I let get away while in Charleston a year ago. This $550 beauty was less than half price on eBay. Dress for aide de camp Lizzie's wedding in two weeks...check and check!

Now, I'm hoping to introduce our UPS man to the Lilly Harper Dress which, is dying to make it's splash of a debut at Amy Fahrenkopf's Christmas Party...

Just as soon as I decide between the pink and the blue, clear the purchase with Babe (when the timing's juuust right), I'll place my order and prepare for introductions. Pilgie! Your package opening services may be required again shortly. Prepare for an incoming page...

Kindness of Babe for realizing it takes many deliveries for a girl to be holiday presentable...XXOO

Reunion Excitement

Only one more week til Emma and Hilbils arrive back at the beach for Thanksgiving break and Daddy returns from Tokyo...

I helped Mummy clean and organize the girl's room in anticipation of their return. And, by help I mean I kept her entertained while she did all the dirty work...

Templeton immediately set up camp on Emma's freshly made bed...

But, soon jumped ship and settled on Hilbil's territory...

We've stocked up on Ghirardelli chocolate chips for Emma to make her famous cookies and all the fixins for Ina's Sticky Buns. Nuthin left to do but lie back and count down the days...

Kindness of the boys for always providing material...XXOO

Rain Rain Go Away Allie Needs To Run

By the time my alarm went off at 5:15 am Wednesday, for a scheduled run with Joanie, it had started storming. And, I mean storming badly...

For days I was relegated to the treadmill at my parent's gym as the Nor'easter continued to rage outside...

Parts of Coastal Highway were left under water as the bay rose and waves breached the dunes...

And, welcome to Bethany no Beach...

Julie tried to go to the Post Office for us once the rain stopped Saturday but didn't get very far...

Thank goodness I had no idea the waves were rolling over the dunes just a few hundred yards from our front door. If I had any inkling I would have been up in the crow's nest with the boys waiting to be airlifted to safety...

The good news is, there is now a fantastic break right in front of our street. The bad news is, we'll now need a staircase to access it...

Our well worn path to the beach is now more like a gangplank to the ocean. At least we have a few months for Mother Nature to right the damage before we get into serious beach season. In the meantime I may have to travel inland for my running dates...

Kindness of Tatsie and Pilge for keeping their Mummy safe while Daddy was in a different time/weather zone and the rest of Fenwick Island was evacuating...XXOO

Book Suggestions For Santa

Here are just a few hints for Santa in the book department. But, for a plethora of fabulous reads that is sure to freeze up your Amazon Wish List swing by Coterie Books. Her blog is like shopping in a Williams Sonoma; you'll want it all...

I do love you Cartier!

Although, I would feel compelled to sit on my hands to keep from ripping out this page and tucking it under my pillow in hopes of dreaming this lil trinket into fruition...

I've also been drooling over the pics featured in the Italian Touch...

Perfect for saying Buon Natale!

Sister Parish, n'est-ce pas?

Ahhh, the venerable Mr. Hicks...I buy anything he or his taste maker daughter India have anything to do with...

My friend Michael Harold's home is featured in The Southern Cosmopolitan. Ronda Rice Carmen of All the Best was fortunate enough to get a firsthand glimpse but, until I'm able to cash in my generous invite, I'll have to settle for admiring from afar...

I bought the first Park Avenue Potluck on the recommendation of Mel and ,will surely follow her suit again in purchasing their newest Celebrations edition to the series...

Lucinda Scala Quinn is the wizard behind the curtain in the Martha Stewart test kitchen. I hit record every time Martha pulls her out in front of the camera for a segment. And, considering the appetite of the man-Babe I feed, this book looks perf...

This treat alert delivered this morning by the lovely Miss Lauren Flowers, whom I can count on to keep me current on all things fashionable. A tear of pride as, once again, the pupil surpasses the teacher...

Kindness of all the names I dropped. I feel special just by association..XXOO