Turning A Lemon Into Ginger Lemon Cremes

Well, after no less than 2 hours on the phone, 3 techs, a 2 hour round trip to the closest full service Verizon, another hour logged in the First circle of Hell store diagnosing and exchanging a dud and, fiiinallyyy my replacement iPhone is activated...

In a generous attempt to salvage my weekend Babe went out and bought the cables needed to hook my computer up to the TV for watching instant Netflix downloads...

Lolls oversaw the install operation...

Then hightailed it to the kitchen to to lay out a proper tray of English biscuits and tea for her Grace...

And, then it was the period drama series Downton Abbey til Daddy could take no more...

Kindness of my long lost, sniffle sniffle, BBM buds Kappa Prep and Beantown Prepster for the faaabulous Downton Abbey recommendation. Also, my family for taking such good care of me annnd for turning a blind eye to the amount of biscuits that disappeared...XXOO

Alex Grant For The Nautical Neck

Our friend Skip Brooks over at Alex Grant blog is debuting his bow tie design March 3rd on Style Cooperative...

This sailor's rolling out his design in both a navy/white and a brown/white combo in homage to the boat shoe...

Ahhh...the Easter candy's stocked at Teeters...Alex Grant bow ties are in the air...Spring is just around the bend...

Kindness of Skip Brooks at Alex Grant for thinking this blog influential enough to announce his foray into the world of fashion design. Annnd, in accordance with our established terms, I'd like my pay in Easter candy. Heavy on the Cadbury Egg...XXOO

Like The Swallows Of Capistrano...

I've purchased my ticket to Mehico and, like the Mission Swallows of San Juan Capistrano, I am ready to take flight in a couple of weeks into what will be my first taste of summahhh...

The "scout swallows" sent ahead to get the lay of this year's bikini land knew to head directly to Melissa Odabash and secure the season's requisite white number...

Since it's one of our fave Mel O cuts, we'll also take it in the will look fab against my end of June tan peak Cheetah...

Although I'm drooling over the thought of gold lamé (after QBS did it proud last summer), I'm a li'l nervous about the engineering of the twist bandeau and it's ability to keep all my bits in check. Back burner with Equador backup plan...

Annnd, rounding out the Mel O selections of '11 is the, I may have been rockin' the J. Lo Cheetah yesterday but, today I'm just nautical Allie from the Preppy block Luxor...

This year's delusional but, going for it anyway Sports Illustrated find is Poko Pano's Playita in Seaglass...

And, the wild card of the lineup is a, if I starve myself from now til May, picking from the much ballyhooed Luli Fama collection to be ordered in jet black cuz I'll be needing all the help I can get to even reeemotely pretend to pull this off...

I've certainly got my work cut out for me caliper dodging Maxminimus and his Butt Police between now and that fantasy...

Kindness of Babe for his help in narrowing down my options even though I know it was a double edged sword for him; the nice thoughts of me prancing around all bronzed in any one of the above contenders, along with the not so nice thoughts of dollar bills vaporizing from his money clip. Annnd, for knowing a late spring visit to the Pucci store for a couple more bikinis is just an unspoken given...XXOO

Bill Cunningham New York

Juuust when my Valentino and September Issue highs have started to fade...

Bill Cunningham New York venue, found. Date, noted. Road trip, planned...

Kindness of my September Issue dates, Amy Fahrenkopf and Alexandra Lee Small, who will be recruited, yet again, for another evening of Five Guys and E Street Cinema cupcake smuggling. Better start working on that St. Regis sweeeet ressie. Ohhh Baaabeee..XXOO

A Tote For Each Coast

Hey Alice,

I still read your blog and look forward to reading first thing in the morning while eating oatmeal at my desk. If you recall I had sent you an e-mail for advice on a vacation and, I did in fact travel on your recommendation and loved my trip to Las Ventanas in Mexico! Since my friend and I are again vacationing together at the end of March, I thought I would ask you and your great taste another question; Our plans are to fly into San Francisco and then 8-10 days later end up in San Diego. Do you have a suggestions on a cute gift for this girls vacation? I would love to get her something that would be useful on our travels. I was thinking maybe a cute boat and tote or a monogrammed koozie! Thanks so much for your help!

Jennifer

Well Jennifer, is your friend a Northern kind of Wm. J. Mills & Co. tote gal? A traditional prep who loves a good lobster roll and thinks blow drying is a chore?

Or, maybe she's more of a Francesa Joy of Plam Beach tote chick who spends Thanksgiving at the Breakers each year and considers white a color...

But, if black is her friend, she knows the Hampton Jitney schedule by heart and nothing gets her heart pumping more than a good Soul Cycle class then maybe an Iomoi tote's more her speed...

But, then again, maybe the two of you would prefer a not too obviously labeled LouenHide when in Rome Cali tote profile? You know, just a couple of dewy skinned from a Red Door facial chiquita's tooling down the PCH in their convertible waxing over last night's fabulous bottle of Pinot...

Whichever tote may tickle your fancy just make certain to have directions to San Diego's Blue Water Seafood tucked inside. And, puhleeeze, have a fish taco pour moi...

Kindness of Jennifer Dion for the vote of confidence in my tote picking ability. And, Meg Carter for the LouenHide pic text and rec sent from a recent Gift Show. If it's good enough to house Meg's swanky Hermès wallet ya know it's a winner...XXOO

Babe In The House

While Allie takes a breather on President’s Day, I thought the readers would appreciate getting a sense what their favorite blogger is like around the house. And while marriage is pure bliss, our own “Meredith” from Family Stone is really a little Marine in preppy clothing...



Allie operates like a German rail schedule – predictable and punctual. If a train is late in Germany, check your watch…well, if a morsel is spotted on our counter, clean your glasses. It is not by accident that she has churned out a post at 12:01 am every Monday-Friday for the past 2 years...



If there is one event reminiscent of my weekly departure for the city, it is the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery. The only difference being the lack of steel-heeled shoes and rifle (substitute suitcase and laptop bag). The "uniform" inspection is just as precise, with frequent infractions for failure to use a lint brush or tie a proper scarf knot. I may have wrinkles and lint on my person during the week but, not on my Sunday afternoon Acela ride...

Kindness of Allie for everything she does for our family. We all appreciate it, even if we may want to go AWOL every now and then.

Annnd kindness of Babe for guest posting and allowing me a lazy Sunday. I'd just like to add that Meredith may be uptight but, she's also extremely well dressed. Ooorah! XXOO

Double Delicious, With Potential Double Pay Out

Since Emma and Hilbils tend to eat cleanly, unlike their aunt, and are both into cooking, Babe and I gifted them Jessica Seinfeld's Double Delicious cookbook to take back to school...

I also took advantage of the purchasing moment to throw one in the cart for myself and signed up for Jessica's Do It Delicious newsletter where she posts cooking videos she makes with her sidekick, and our old G'town neighbor, Aly Wentworth...

So far, all I've done is obsessively thumb through the cookbook drooling and watch the videos. Meanwhile, Hilbils is sending me pic texts of Jessica's homemade black bean burgers and sweet potato fries. Ummm, are ya sure you don't wanna live at the beach house this summer and cook for spend more time with us?

Kindness of Hilbils for thoughtfully sending me a pic text to let me know how much she's enjoying her cookbook. Nevermind that it came in as I was sitting down to my FROZEN black bean burger and NO fries dinz...XXOO

Five Flicks Picks

My Bloggerville neighbor, EAS at Let the Tide, tagged me to post on my "Five Favorite Flicks". Since I've already listed some here, I rifled through the movies I never tire of watching and found a few new mentions, and a couple of worthy repeats, to share...



I think Please Don't Eat the Daisies with Doris Day is most def due a re watch this weekend...

The Four Seasons ranks right up there with the Sound of Music as a serious top 5 contenders. It'll cost you the price of the rental plus the $9.99 at iTunes you're certain to drop for Vivaldi's Four Seasons as soon as it ends...



Shag will have you wanting to push back all the furniture and dance while drinking lose your lunch punch, til ya do...



I recently recommended The Rape of Europa but, I feel obliged to trot it out again. It's the most riveting history on Hitler, World War II and the world's greatest works of art. Also, helped in clearing up my recent foot in mouth question at the Louvre about the hoopla surrounding the Mona Lisa...



Another repeat recommendation offender is Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story. I'm planning on crossing paths with Sally and Emma Lucy and Ethel in Mexico next month and can't wait to get the update on their scheme to land rolls in the new Lee Atwater movie Will Ferrell's got in the pipeline. Giiirls, I've got a top 5 reservation with your name on it...

Kindness of EAS at Let the Tide Pull Your Dreams Ashore for the tag. I must add that everything on my list besides the Doris Day and Shag movies are Babe approved flicks. I'm hoping to sell him on those two this weekend. Baptism by force annnd the Chicken Makhani that got postponed due to a certain French leather goods store road trip...XXOO

Pay Nooo Attention to That Woman Behind The Curtain...

PVE was doling out "Stylish Blogger" awards and, yet again, I somehow managed to slip past the velvet rope. As a recipient I'm asked to divulge 7 "style secrets" but, since I'm a wolf in stylish sheep's clothing, I think it's more beneficial to ya'll if I dish on 7 secrets that helped me to pull the wool pashmina over PVE's eyes...

1. I was sitting on the beach in Naples six years ago dissecting a Gwynnie interview in Vogue when she volunteered her hair care secret, "It doesn't matter if you are pregnant, I swear to God, I have double-processed blond hair, and it’s so long and not damaged. Those New Chapter Prenatal vitamins, they are the trick!”. Annnd, I've been using them since...

2. Theee very first place I run whenever I'm in NYC is the J. Sisters Salon, another GP Vogue rec from the archives, for a world class Brazilian and brow wax. No one compares...

3. A woman first shows signs of aging in her face, neck and back of hands sooo, even though the rest of my body may be soaking up the PTH's, that real estate is always slathered in heavy duty sunscreen...

4. God forbid, I should ever find myself in a trauma bay, it won't be, "call my husband" I'll manage to croak, it'll be, "call the surgeon". If I took ooone thing away from Babe's years in medical school, it's that no one knows their way around the anatomy like someone who's trained in surgery. So, when it comes to Botox pour moi, it's a plastics guy or no guy at all...

5. All those years of competitive swimming spent with a straw like, chlorinated Simba doo taught me to wash and condition my hair first when showering allowing the conditioner to sit and work it's magic while I knock out the rest of my bathing duties...

6. I rarely, and I mean rarely, blow dry my hair but, when under duress to, I swear by the Tourmaline T3. Ranks right up there with the Mason Pearson brush...

7. If you learn nothing but the basic fold for tying a scarf you'll double your style quotient...

Also, if numbers 3 and 4 should fall by the wayside, the basic fold will come in quite handy for hiding ones neck later in life...

Kindness of the très talented Patricia at PVE for generously bestowing me with this award. Just remind me to never come out from behind the curtain lest I be striped of my title...XXOO

Gone To Ground

We're in hiding...

In hiding from Mummy's Mummy who keeps Skyping to see if she's booked her flight to Mexico after promising to do so daily for months, Emma who keeps texting to see if she's activated the iPhone she's been sitting on for a week and gathering dust emails from Jessica of The Love List who is giving her blog a mini face lift and patiently waiting for some dialogue...

We were in hiding from the bff's daily phone calls holding our feet to the did you work out today fire...

But, she found us and, alas, the workouts have resumed...

It's not like we've been laying around eating Girl Scout cookies all day. Okay, the part about not eating Girl Scout cookies isn't true but, I swear we've been eating them sitting up! We've just gotten a smidge behind in everything but, have grand delusions plans for getting eeeverything tied up this week. Just give us a few more days in the bag...

Kindness of the bff Kimba and Babe for gently, but firmly, coaxing me back into my workout routine. I think the Butt Police over at Camp Maxminimus had begun to smell Thin Mint blood in the water...XXOO

Sure Was A Happy Valentine's Round Here...

When Babe arrived home late Thursday night he got a li'l taste of what it's like trying to sneak goods into the house undetected...

But, he managed to pull it off and this is what I found under Pilgie's beehind on my desk the following morn...

And, an hour later, a scarf box in the cereal cabinet that Pilgie had planted himself below! After the excitement waned, Babe generously offered to forfeit his one day off to drive me to the Tyson's Hermès to make exchanges since I already have one bangle with the blanketed horses annnd the red of the Concours d'Etriers wasn't the best color for my too pasty self ...

Sooo, a strip mall parking lot drive-thru pit stop en route to load up on a few treats for the trip...

Another pit stop on the return for a bit of window shopping for Babe...

And, beaucoup success with the cuff exchange as I managed to get the last remaining, and much coveted by moi, 65cm gold with gold Balcons...

Moi: (on the car ride home huffing my newly traded in Din Tini scarf) Snnniff...smell it Babe, it smells like the store. Can you smell it?

Babe: Snnniff...Yep. Smells like money. Hey, did ya smell my blood and sweat too? Cuz I think it's soaked in it...

That Babe...

Kindness of Babe for being so thoughtful and generous, including postponing your Valentines dinner of Chicken Mahkini, to make the 7 hour roundtrip for my exchanges. I am truly blessed to have you (blood, sweat and all) as my husband. And, Pilgie for his part in luring me to my gifts that morning. Well played you two, veeery well played...XXOO

Calling All Gwynnieophiles...

(totally in a singsongy voice) Guess what's now available for pre-order on Amazon...

And, it looks as though the cover shot was taken in her todiefor Tribeca kitchen. Book, ordered. Kitchen, still on the wish list...

Kindness of the artificial intelligence at Amazon for correctly flagging me as a Gwynnieophile and giving me the proper heads up...XXOO

The 86'd Valentine Gift List

When Hilary's bf Rob started contemplating Valentine gifts for Princess Picky Pants, he turned to Emma for some input. Emma wisely came to the Queen...

So, I cobbled together a very respectable list of offerings and the global (read, spring break in Mehico next month) Kindle 3G was at the very top. This was a double teamed entry with a rec for the Kate Spade cover submitted by Camp Fahrenkopf. But, 'twas shot down by HRH (Her Royal Hardtobuyfor). Shot down til she sits next to me on the beach using mine...

I offered up Tory's très apropos Valentine Pajama Set. Another pooh pooh heard round the world...

How about some state of the art Skullcandy 50/50 earbuds to go with that en route iPhone? NaaaHOT interested...

You are kidding me! She turned her nose up at the Calypso Love Lurex Scarf in the chardona pink too? But, she loves Calypso, she loves scarves, and, it's within Rob's budget...Oh lordy Emma. She doesn't like the candles I picked...she doesn't like the hot chocolate and marshmallows suggestion...what does she want???

Ahhhaaa...so it's a new Tory Burch Continental Wallet that's twice Rob's budget she's after. This is in addition to him flying her to Penn to be with him for the weekend?

That Hilbils! What a stinkin' princess. Picky annnd expensive to please? I can't imaaagine where she gets THAT from...

Kindness of Babe for taking notice of the above subliminal Hermès plant. Annnd that, my little protégé, is what ya call killing two birds with one scarf...XXOO

Et Tu, Brute And Brutessa?

And, that's exactly what Daddy's gonna exclaim when he reads this post...

Seems Mummy's not the only one receiving visits from the UPS man anymore...

Noppers. This Simple Human Pet Food Can was addressed to a Master George and a Miss Lolly Rockefeller. Otherwise known as, Brute and Brutessa...

Pilgie sold Mummy on the airtight freshness and the ability to hold four times as much food as her rinky dink canister. Mummy, ever the consummate pro, told him to use the fact that they will save on small food bag shipping costs when under Daddy's hot lamps...

She would then help him tie up the sale with how the pet food canister and scoop would no longer need to be kept in the fridge which always gave Daddy the heebs...

And, then Lolly could demonstrate how it conveniently rolls out of it's new home in the pantry while simultaneously playing the "Valentine's Day" card...

Although, Mummy says all evidence packaging must be broken down and taken around back to the discreet recycling hiding spot nook before Daddycakes arrives home Thursday night cuz outta sight, outta mind...

That leaves 48 more hours of fort time and counting...

Kindness of Daddy for taking such good care of his Ti-Babes. Mummy said to tell you that the freed up space in the fridge will be filled with a special homemade Valentine's confection as a token of our gratitude and groveling...XXOO