Friday, November 12, 2010
Nanny's Tired
It's Friday. It's raining out. N had an epic meltdown a few hours ago involving broccoli throwing, and I'm conserving all my energy for an event I'm attending (hint: it involves 30 varieties of gourmet chili for me to eat). And since brevity, my dears, is the soul of wit, I'm sharing but two things.
Please find above in all of its glory the song, "I Eat Doughnuts," by artist Sibley, which I tracked down after enjoying so much in Stella McCartney's ad for her Kids line, as posted earlier this week (Pour les Enfants).
Updates to come on what N has to say about the song, and "what it make her booty do."
And lastly, because Fridays are supposed to be en Francais, I thought I would share my favorite French term of endearment:
mon petit chou chou - "my little cabbage"
As in, "Awwww, je t'adore, mon petit chou chou!"
Je l'adore.
Voila! C'est bien. Bonne Vendredi.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
It's Baking Season! (A Favorite Apple Pie Recipe)
Okay, as I previously indulged in an "I Love Fall" post, September begins my favorite time of year (not that I don't love summer!). The following is a list of reasons why (recipe at the end!):
1) I've designated Halloween through my Birthday (in January) as the Official Season of Glitter. My friend B once said she wouldn't be surprised to find glitter in any place I had been (and then there was the campus-wide scrubbing for at least the week after I was Tinkerbell for Halloween and carried out a bag of glitter as pixie dust one evening). It's true I love the stuff. And Halloween, Christmas, New Year's, my birthday - everyone's automatically given leave to wear as much glitter, shine, sparkle, and sequins as possible, all in the name of festivity. Gotta love it.
2) Boot season.
3) Sweater season.
4) Light jacket season.
5) The lilting combination of leaves crunching underfoot, and campfire crackling. The smell of a campfire. And later, the hanging of the greens and the spicy-sweet smell of evergreen.
6) Apple cider and hot cocoa. I'd say hot toddies, but anyone who attended my Ugly Christmas Sweater Party a few years ago can attest to my less-than-perfect hot buttered rum. I'm working on that...in the meantime, I make a mean (and simple) warm spiced apple cider + rum.
7) Ice skating at Crown Center (+ sweaters + hot cocoa).
8) A Christmas Carol at the Rep and the Nutcracker at the Kansas City Ballet. This is the time of year my imagination really takes flight (reaching very lofty heights) and I get lost in the Nutcracker, my memories of being taken to the Midland as little girls, it's grandeur, the magic of the music, the dance, and of course, the never-lost dream of being a ballerina.
9) Shopping on the Plaza in the dark of evening, with the glow of the lights. No, really. I prefer to do my Christmas shopping in the black of dusk - it all just seems more mystical, and festive.
10) The food. I don't eat much in the summer; the heat keeps me from it, and I generally just snack on a lot of fruit, cold veggies, salsas and salads. This is good for me. Fall begins my love affair with the savory. I adore chilis, soups, and stews, crusty breads, green beans and sweet potatoes. But this is also the baking season.
I kicked off the week with a pumpkin pie (using the recipe from my post Pumpkin Pie with a Twist, and in two weeks, my mother, my sister, my grandpa and I will be spending two days creating our family's Christmas lebkuchen (Christmas cookies), but what to make in between? I haven't been to a farmer's market since I-don't-know-when and I'm all over that this weekend, because...I've decided it's the perfect time to make an apple pie.
Apple pie is one of the labor intensive pies there is, but one of my favorites. I tend to shy away from cheddar crusts (I like mine sweet) and caramel apple pies, and often gravitate towards recipes with crumb toppings versus lattice. I haven't decided what to try this year - the cinnamon crumble-bottom turned out well in my pumpkin pie, perhaps an adaptation for apple? The following is a recipe I used last fall that turned out exceptionally well:
Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie from Epicurious.com
(If you're on Epicurious, you can find me and my recipe box under simrl, though I still have yet to update it with all the recipes on my mobile app).
Crust:
1 1/3 Cup all-purpose flour (I'm going to try this using wheat flour)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 Cup butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 Cup shortening, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Ice water (I usually keep a cup of ice water handy, adding a little bit at a time. It always seems to vary how much you'll need).
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (Note: any more and your crust will taste strongly of vinegar).
Filling:
3 1/4 lbs. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used organic sweet red apples bought for a pittance at a road-side stand by my mom's garden. Granny Smith's are generally considered the best baking apples, but if you don't mind a sweet pie, use whatever you like. The red apples turned out a fantastic pie).
2/3 Cup sugar
2 TB all-purpose flour (again, and also in the topping below, I will try wheat flour)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I'm always a little heavy-handed with the spices and don't measure this precisely)
2 TB butter, melted
Topping:
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
6 TB chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
preparation
Bon appetit! Stay posted for my apple pie adventures this weekend.
1) I've designated Halloween through my Birthday (in January) as the Official Season of Glitter. My friend B once said she wouldn't be surprised to find glitter in any place I had been (and then there was the campus-wide scrubbing for at least the week after I was Tinkerbell for Halloween and carried out a bag of glitter as pixie dust one evening). It's true I love the stuff. And Halloween, Christmas, New Year's, my birthday - everyone's automatically given leave to wear as much glitter, shine, sparkle, and sequins as possible, all in the name of festivity. Gotta love it.
2) Boot season.
3) Sweater season.
4) Light jacket season.
5) The lilting combination of leaves crunching underfoot, and campfire crackling. The smell of a campfire. And later, the hanging of the greens and the spicy-sweet smell of evergreen.
6) Apple cider and hot cocoa. I'd say hot toddies, but anyone who attended my Ugly Christmas Sweater Party a few years ago can attest to my less-than-perfect hot buttered rum. I'm working on that...in the meantime, I make a mean (and simple) warm spiced apple cider + rum.
7) Ice skating at Crown Center (+ sweaters + hot cocoa).
8) A Christmas Carol at the Rep and the Nutcracker at the Kansas City Ballet. This is the time of year my imagination really takes flight (reaching very lofty heights) and I get lost in the Nutcracker, my memories of being taken to the Midland as little girls, it's grandeur, the magic of the music, the dance, and of course, the never-lost dream of being a ballerina.
9) Shopping on the Plaza in the dark of evening, with the glow of the lights. No, really. I prefer to do my Christmas shopping in the black of dusk - it all just seems more mystical, and festive.
10) The food. I don't eat much in the summer; the heat keeps me from it, and I generally just snack on a lot of fruit, cold veggies, salsas and salads. This is good for me. Fall begins my love affair with the savory. I adore chilis, soups, and stews, crusty breads, green beans and sweet potatoes. But this is also the baking season.
I kicked off the week with a pumpkin pie (using the recipe from my post Pumpkin Pie with a Twist, and in two weeks, my mother, my sister, my grandpa and I will be spending two days creating our family's Christmas lebkuchen (Christmas cookies), but what to make in between? I haven't been to a farmer's market since I-don't-know-when and I'm all over that this weekend, because...I've decided it's the perfect time to make an apple pie.
Apple pie is one of the labor intensive pies there is, but one of my favorites. I tend to shy away from cheddar crusts (I like mine sweet) and caramel apple pies, and often gravitate towards recipes with crumb toppings versus lattice. I haven't decided what to try this year - the cinnamon crumble-bottom turned out well in my pumpkin pie, perhaps an adaptation for apple? The following is a recipe I used last fall that turned out exceptionally well:
Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie from Epicurious.com
(If you're on Epicurious, you can find me and my recipe box under simrl, though I still have yet to update it with all the recipes on my mobile app).
Crust:
1 1/3 Cup all-purpose flour (I'm going to try this using wheat flour)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 Cup butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 Cup shortening, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Ice water (I usually keep a cup of ice water handy, adding a little bit at a time. It always seems to vary how much you'll need).
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (Note: any more and your crust will taste strongly of vinegar).
Filling:
3 1/4 lbs. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used organic sweet red apples bought for a pittance at a road-side stand by my mom's garden. Granny Smith's are generally considered the best baking apples, but if you don't mind a sweet pie, use whatever you like. The red apples turned out a fantastic pie).
2/3 Cup sugar
2 TB all-purpose flour (again, and also in the topping below, I will try wheat flour)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I'm always a little heavy-handed with the spices and don't measure this precisely)
2 TB butter, melted
Topping:
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
6 TB chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
preparation
Bon appetit! Stay posted for my apple pie adventures this weekend.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
N Says
As I go off tonight to embark on training to become a literacy tutor (after an embarrassing snafu last night, as I apparently, the would-be tutor, can't read an e-mail, and showed up a night early...) my mind is on language. My assignment for tonight centered around phonemes, blended consonants, and all of that good stuff. I vaguely remember this from a History of the English Language class I took in college, but what this really calls to mind is my poetry professor's waxing (ha) on the sounds of language. The sounds of words. Poetry was a crash course in a love affair with speaking slowly and taking the time to listen, to let the syllables melt and drip over your tongue, your teeth, feeling their weight, or their airiness. It's true that one of the reasons I love to write is because I love to play: with word order, with juxtaposition of sounds, with meanings. And all of a sudden, I find myself surrounded by people - both toddlers and adults - who are just learning to listen to those sounds.
M, at 15 months, is extremely vocal, though non-verbal. But he loves to make certain sounds and hear himself do this. We had a play-date at the park with my friend, J, and her adorable son, C, who is just 11 months. And as we pushed the two side by side in swings, it struck me, how each baby seems to have his or her own unique non-verbalisation. M is extremely fond of making these glottal noises in the back of his throat, for example.
And then there's N, who's very vocal about nearly everything, but still very much learning the language. A typical sentence of hers might be: "Her not have pink." She hasn't yet learned to recognize the difference in pronouns, so it's something we work on, but, she is 2, after all. She adopts particular phrases that she loves to use in any situation, or words - "poop" is a favorite for just about everything, as is, "Whoa, dude!" Yet she still converses with M in his little language, or, at least, imitates it (I still have no idea if they have some sort of understanding of what he's saying or not) and frequently uses onomatopoeia. "Sook sook," is a recent one that is used with such variety that I haven't quite figured out it's true meaning, if it has one.
Where am I going with this? When it comes to writing, to anything in life, really, I find that children inspire me. They have an uncanny way of revealing truths, and have not yet learned to shield, or control, their emotions. I think this is very good. So much so that I've found a focus for a collection of short stories centering around revealing childhood stories that friends, acquaintances, and so forth have told me (you can read one, Sweet Baby James, published here, as it were.
One of my favorite moments with N happened when she was playing with her brother in the living room, and I got up to go do something in the kitchen. As I turned the corner, she came flying up, huge grin, arms open, halfway in the air, yelling, "I need Rachel right now!" And as I turned to lift her up, she gave me the biggest, sweetest, tightest hug you ever saw. "I need you too, sweet pea," I said. I tear up at, well, a lot of things, but still, that moment brought tears to my eyes, and validation to my heart, as it does now as I write this.
So I've been steadily keeping track the past month or so of the funny, adorable, and sweet things N says, some of which ring with such resonance. I often tweet these things, but in case you've missed them, here they all are collected:
Me: "We all have little colds, don't we? But I think yours is getting better!"
N (crinkles her nose): "Um, sure."
Me: "Well perhaps not."
This remark happens nearly daily:
N: You have booty, Rachel? That's your booty! I touching your booty!
Me: Yes, I noticed.
N: "I just pink right now."
N: "Hey Rachel, you got messy hair right now."
Me (as I strive to fix it): "Oh do I? Is that better?"
N: "Hmm."
N: "The leaves are falling down. Where they going?"
Me: "I think you're being a little bossy today, N!"
N: "Noooo I not!"
Me: "Yes, I think you are!"
N: "Nooo I not being bossy! I being Mommy!"
Me: "Okay N, lunch is almost ready!"
N: "Haauuuumm oookaaaay."
Note: After I drove to work one day with bird poop on N's window, we spent a week discussing why it was there, what it was, why birdies poop on cars, why birdies live in trees, and so many more "why's." The following is one of the choicest quotes of the week, a running monologue from the back seat:
N: "I potty in the toilet, birdies poop on the car. Your car dirty? Birdy do that. M, no, we don't poop on the car! We go in the potty!"
N: "You not have a bow in your hair today? Why not?"
Me: "Well, I don't know!"
N: "I have a bow in my hair. You wear one again? Tomorrow? Hooray!"
Me: "Please don't chew on my button, N. It's really not very nice. Nor good for your teeth!"
N: "It is! I do it! I do it every morning!"
(At the park, from the top of the playground set) N: "HI RACHEL! LOOK AT ME RACHEL! WATCH THIS RACHEL! YOU A PRINCESS RACHEL!"
Me: "How's that thumb taste, N?"
N (as it's placed smackingly in her mouth to stay): "Icky!"
N: "I want a car!"
Me: "Can we say please? What kind of car?"
N: "A pink one!"
Me: "Oh? And where will you go in your pink car?"
N: "I go to the store! I go to the store to buy chocolate milk!"
N: "I want my lipstick."
Me: "You don't want your snack?"
N: "No, I just want my lipstick."
Note: We're big fans of Pandora (although it's been increasingly difficult to explain why I cannot force the Disney station to only play Cinderella, Belle, and Ariel) and one of N's favorite stations is the Gaelic Storm station, which plays largely traditional Irish music. She calls it "her" music. So we like to put "N's" music on and dance.
N (as she's crouching down, "booty" stuck in the air, and shaking it): "This music make my booty go like this."
Me (as N wipes her runny nose on my shoulder): "Do you need a tissue, N?"
N: "No."
Me (as she continues to wipe her nose on me): "I think you might. 'Cause I'm not a tissue."
N: "No. You a tissue!"
Me: "No, I'm really not. I don't want to be!"
N: Yes you do! You want to! You want to be tissue!"
N: "You nanny. Is Mommy nanny?"
Me: "No, Mommy's mommy."
N: "Whoa dude!"
N (surveying the aftermath of M's lunch, which was largely all over the floor): "Too icky."
N: "We teach M, Rachel."
M, at 15 months, is extremely vocal, though non-verbal. But he loves to make certain sounds and hear himself do this. We had a play-date at the park with my friend, J, and her adorable son, C, who is just 11 months. And as we pushed the two side by side in swings, it struck me, how each baby seems to have his or her own unique non-verbalisation. M is extremely fond of making these glottal noises in the back of his throat, for example.
And then there's N, who's very vocal about nearly everything, but still very much learning the language. A typical sentence of hers might be: "Her not have pink." She hasn't yet learned to recognize the difference in pronouns, so it's something we work on, but, she is 2, after all. She adopts particular phrases that she loves to use in any situation, or words - "poop" is a favorite for just about everything, as is, "Whoa, dude!" Yet she still converses with M in his little language, or, at least, imitates it (I still have no idea if they have some sort of understanding of what he's saying or not) and frequently uses onomatopoeia. "Sook sook," is a recent one that is used with such variety that I haven't quite figured out it's true meaning, if it has one.
Where am I going with this? When it comes to writing, to anything in life, really, I find that children inspire me. They have an uncanny way of revealing truths, and have not yet learned to shield, or control, their emotions. I think this is very good. So much so that I've found a focus for a collection of short stories centering around revealing childhood stories that friends, acquaintances, and so forth have told me (you can read one, Sweet Baby James, published here, as it were.
One of my favorite moments with N happened when she was playing with her brother in the living room, and I got up to go do something in the kitchen. As I turned the corner, she came flying up, huge grin, arms open, halfway in the air, yelling, "I need Rachel right now!" And as I turned to lift her up, she gave me the biggest, sweetest, tightest hug you ever saw. "I need you too, sweet pea," I said. I tear up at, well, a lot of things, but still, that moment brought tears to my eyes, and validation to my heart, as it does now as I write this.
So I've been steadily keeping track the past month or so of the funny, adorable, and sweet things N says, some of which ring with such resonance. I often tweet these things, but in case you've missed them, here they all are collected:
Me: "We all have little colds, don't we? But I think yours is getting better!"
N (crinkles her nose): "Um, sure."
Me: "Well perhaps not."
This remark happens nearly daily:
N: You have booty, Rachel? That's your booty! I touching your booty!
Me: Yes, I noticed.
N: "I just pink right now."
N: "Hey Rachel, you got messy hair right now."
Me (as I strive to fix it): "Oh do I? Is that better?"
N: "Hmm."
N: "The leaves are falling down. Where they going?"
Me: "I think you're being a little bossy today, N!"
N: "Noooo I not!"
Me: "Yes, I think you are!"
N: "Nooo I not being bossy! I being Mommy!"
Me: "Okay N, lunch is almost ready!"
N: "Haauuuumm oookaaaay."
Note: After I drove to work one day with bird poop on N's window, we spent a week discussing why it was there, what it was, why birdies poop on cars, why birdies live in trees, and so many more "why's." The following is one of the choicest quotes of the week, a running monologue from the back seat:
N: "I potty in the toilet, birdies poop on the car. Your car dirty? Birdy do that. M, no, we don't poop on the car! We go in the potty!"
N: "You not have a bow in your hair today? Why not?"
Me: "Well, I don't know!"
N: "I have a bow in my hair. You wear one again? Tomorrow? Hooray!"
Me: "Please don't chew on my button, N. It's really not very nice. Nor good for your teeth!"
N: "It is! I do it! I do it every morning!"
(At the park, from the top of the playground set) N: "HI RACHEL! LOOK AT ME RACHEL! WATCH THIS RACHEL! YOU A PRINCESS RACHEL!"
Me: "How's that thumb taste, N?"
N (as it's placed smackingly in her mouth to stay): "Icky!"
N: "I want a car!"
Me: "Can we say please? What kind of car?"
N: "A pink one!"
Me: "Oh? And where will you go in your pink car?"
N: "I go to the store! I go to the store to buy chocolate milk!"
N: "I want my lipstick."
Me: "You don't want your snack?"
N: "No, I just want my lipstick."
Note: We're big fans of Pandora (although it's been increasingly difficult to explain why I cannot force the Disney station to only play Cinderella, Belle, and Ariel) and one of N's favorite stations is the Gaelic Storm station, which plays largely traditional Irish music. She calls it "her" music. So we like to put "N's" music on and dance.
N (as she's crouching down, "booty" stuck in the air, and shaking it): "This music make my booty go like this."
Me (as N wipes her runny nose on my shoulder): "Do you need a tissue, N?"
N: "No."
Me (as she continues to wipe her nose on me): "I think you might. 'Cause I'm not a tissue."
N: "No. You a tissue!"
Me: "No, I'm really not. I don't want to be!"
N: Yes you do! You want to! You want to be tissue!"
N: "You nanny. Is Mommy nanny?"
Me: "No, Mommy's mommy."
N: "Whoa dude!"
N (surveying the aftermath of M's lunch, which was largely all over the floor): "Too icky."
N: "We teach M, Rachel."
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Pour les Enfants: Stella McCartney Kids!
"I eat doughnuts, man, I eat doughnuts."
Ah! File this under if I would, I could: buy M&N some Stella McCartney Kids. Besides watching this adorably fun video, oh, maybe ten times this morning (and there will be more viewings to come. perhaps even a downloading of the song. which we'll add to our afternoon dance sessions), I've scoped out the seriously awesome and adorable kidswear to be found at http://www.stellamccartneykids.com/.
There's also a handy-dandy "Creat a Look" feature on the website, so of course, while M sleeps peacefully, and N learns away at school, I've taken it upon myself to pick out what I would dress them in (totally in my job description. Both of them). Um, yeah. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll probably be seeing a lot of these tweets (promise: they're adorable!). There's also a "Playground" with downloadables, such as lullabies and videos. Well done, Miss McCartney. And now, here are a few of my picks for M & N:
Pour M (15 months, male):
 |
Don't you try to tell me footies aren't the most adorable things on earth. Stella's versions are organic cotton.   |
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| I just love grown-up looking clothes on children. I'd wear this. |
 |
| Another item I would wear! I really do love grown-up clothes cut for kids. I remember seeing once where now-designers Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson (obsession of my generation) used to have designer clothes cut down to their size. Grown-up clothes are fun too. |
Should you have both the children and the budget (or, if you, like me, have neither, but are infinitely curious) visit http://www.stellamccartneykids.com/ - shipping is free (on orders over $90 - not hard to do...) through November 15, so I'm advising to just complete your Christmas shopping in one fell swoop.
This Is Obsession: Part Deux
Lanvin for H&M Promo Video
The line hits stores November 20, fashion media has been saturated with this video, interviews with Alber Elbaz and his thoughts on the line, the decision to bring luxury to H&M, etc. I particularly love this snippet from an interview with the New York Times' Cut blog (as did they), on the subject of the type of women he wants to wear Lanvin:
"A friend of mine told me that everytime she wears a Lanvin dress, a man falls in love with her, and I thought, 'Wow, that's great.' And then the day after I told her, 'I wish actually the next time you wear a Lanvin dress you fall in love with a man.' And she said, 'What’s the difference?' And I said, 'Active and passive.' So I like those active women, women in charge. So in any case I hope now that we have so many more dresses of Lanvin many more women will be falling in love and many more women will be fallen in love with."And I myself have been glamming out, trying to figure out how to get my hands on at least one frock. Live in a city with an H&M? Feel like being my personal shopper for a day? It's a matter of Lanvin and Death over here.
Paris will understand the delay in journey financing. C'est Lanvin!
Monday, November 8, 2010
This is Obsession (Fall Fashion edition)
It is the 8th of November, and the high for the day is expected to be 72 degrees. Fahrenheit. In Kansas City, Missouri.
No, I never expected to write those words. But today, it's the truth, and I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth, no sir. Ever one to rush fall and brisk weather, I'm going to step back and let winter unfold at a slower than normal pace because, well, winter lasts long enough. Snow, you were fun last winter and all, but it's alright if you don't want to make as many visits this year. I'll be alright. My down comforter might miss me, but I'll be just fine if I want to do other things than hide under its warmth all the time. And snow, we'll see each other - a sledding outing perhaps - but if you and the sub-zero temps don't want to see me as often, well, that may be for the best. We could all probably use some space.
Especially if it means a prolonged fall wardrobe. In an effort to make fun from Mondays, I've decided they'll be all fashion and style around here. Enter, my current fall fashion obsessions:
No, I never expected to write those words. But today, it's the truth, and I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth, no sir. Ever one to rush fall and brisk weather, I'm going to step back and let winter unfold at a slower than normal pace because, well, winter lasts long enough. Snow, you were fun last winter and all, but it's alright if you don't want to make as many visits this year. I'll be alright. My down comforter might miss me, but I'll be just fine if I want to do other things than hide under its warmth all the time. And snow, we'll see each other - a sledding outing perhaps - but if you and the sub-zero temps don't want to see me as often, well, that may be for the best. We could all probably use some space.
Especially if it means a prolonged fall wardrobe. In an effort to make fun from Mondays, I've decided they'll be all fashion and style around here. Enter, my current fall fashion obsessions:
First of all, Ralph Lauren speaks autumnal Americana to me, with a collegiate touch. Tartan's having a serious moment right now (hoooooray!) and I'm obsessing over these sunglasses right now. It would not be liable to print that often I open up my copy of Elle or Vogue to the first few pages of ads just to sneak a look at these beauties. Sometimes, it's the last thing I do before bed. Clean. Classic. American.
Style.com reviewer Nicole Phelps called the Marc Jacobs 2010 Fall RTW show "a nostalgia trip, one so lovely it was quite easy to be seduced." It was "as dreamy and serene as any Jacobs show in recent memory - and how typical of him to intuit that the world is craving serenity right now." It's true, the palette never strayed from softly serene neutrals, in warm beiges, chocolates, greys, and ambers. But I saw too the high drama, albeit nostalgic, and not just for previous Jacobs collections, in silhouettes that echoed screen sirens of the 30's and 40's. High collars and shoulder accents. Leather elbow-length gloves. Fur, feathers, and fur. Here's a selection of my personal favorites from the collection, in color progression. For my own reasons, I see the progression from fall to winter being one from browns to greys and creams. Call it a pre-occupation with tweed and leather in fall, and winter white, if you must. November's warm weather is speaking of a serene winter to me.
 |
| I've particularly fallen for this look, I think, perhaps, due to the fact that I own a long grey jersey dress, which I've been planning on wearing to a benefit this coming weekend. Of course, now the plan is to do some Marc Jacobs styling of my own, by adding vintage elbow length gloves in cream (my great-grandmother's) and trying out my feather headband as a belt, for starters. I love the collar and the drape of this dress; there is nothing more comfortable to wear for a big night out than jersey, and the combination of the fabric with the length attains that perfect combination of dressed-up ease. |
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| Jean Harlow, eat your heart out. This look hits the big fabric trends: velvet, fur, leather. Gorgeous drapery. Makes me actually want to wear velvet. |
 |
| This |
C'est fin! Look for some post-Gossip Girl posting tomorrow, along with two fashion videos I'm glamming out (and obsessing) over. Hint: Alber Ebaz.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Fridays en Francais!
A brief note, before I begin: if you read my previous blog, KCFashionista, or, even if you didn't, it might be of interest to know that I have finally gotten around to importing those posts and incorporating them into this blog. So, many fashionable thoughts can now be found in the archives here.
Maintenant...
If you will recall, I've written a few times about how once I turn 25, I supposedly am magically (and scientifically, I think) supposed to become clearer-thinking, and more able to find my focus. I can hear the weeks ticking away until my birthday (already have the party-idea all sorted out - how's that for focus and clear thinking?) and feel that I have finally landed upon some more focused ideas for this blog (have I used that word - focus - enough yet?). It's utterly ambitious, so we'll see how it goes.
But for the time being, Fridays will now play host to all my fun learnings in the French language. C'est marveilleux! They will also be brief. Hooray. Because everyone is ready for a break on Friday, especially tired nannies (though perhaps Monday would better serve as my break day. It's usually my least ambitious day. Or my most. Depends on the week. Did I mention I'm working on my focus?)
I've recently begun my experimentation with the methods and products I'm going to use in order to resuscitate my French-language skills. This week's method comes in the form of Audio Cd's from On Lingo, seeing as how they were so kind to grant me a 14-Day Free Trial.
Now, I'm not exactly a beginner, so it's been hard to tell from the 3 Cd's I've already whipped through in the course of a day (and three half-hour drives), but so far I find it enjoyable, have brushed up on some basic vocabulary and phrases, picked up some tips on pronunciation, and well, learned a few new things. The Cd's include several chapters, with both a male and female speaker, and walk you threw repetition of vocabulary (Ecouter! Repeter une fois!), practicum, and quizzes in both English and French. I'm not buying the full method yet, but as my first product I've tried, it's seemingly set the bar fairly high.
Aside: M & N have unfortunately fallen victim to this particular experiment. I expect M's first word will be en francais, and his parents will praise their bi-lingual baby, though he fell asleep at two separate times in our drive. N met the lessons with a full-on fit at first, although enjoyed the section on colors, and then fell asleep for the remainder of our drive.
Et maintenaint...
Des nouvelles choses:
a) When pronouncing the French "l," the tip of your tongue should be touching your top teeth.
b) The French "r" is pronounced at the back of the throat.
c) English is spoken using the muscles of the jaw more, while French exercises the mouth muscles more. English speakers should feel as if they're puckering their mouths when speaking French.
d) The word "denim" originated as the fabric was created in a French town called Nim. "de" means "from," or "of," in French, therefore: de Nim becomes "denim." Fantastique!
Et voila! C'est fin.
Maintenant...
If you will recall, I've written a few times about how once I turn 25, I supposedly am magically (and scientifically, I think) supposed to become clearer-thinking, and more able to find my focus. I can hear the weeks ticking away until my birthday (already have the party-idea all sorted out - how's that for focus and clear thinking?) and feel that I have finally landed upon some more focused ideas for this blog (have I used that word - focus - enough yet?). It's utterly ambitious, so we'll see how it goes.
But for the time being, Fridays will now play host to all my fun learnings in the French language. C'est marveilleux! They will also be brief. Hooray. Because everyone is ready for a break on Friday, especially tired nannies (though perhaps Monday would better serve as my break day. It's usually my least ambitious day. Or my most. Depends on the week. Did I mention I'm working on my focus?)
I've recently begun my experimentation with the methods and products I'm going to use in order to resuscitate my French-language skills. This week's method comes in the form of Audio Cd's from On Lingo, seeing as how they were so kind to grant me a 14-Day Free Trial.
Now, I'm not exactly a beginner, so it's been hard to tell from the 3 Cd's I've already whipped through in the course of a day (and three half-hour drives), but so far I find it enjoyable, have brushed up on some basic vocabulary and phrases, picked up some tips on pronunciation, and well, learned a few new things. The Cd's include several chapters, with both a male and female speaker, and walk you threw repetition of vocabulary (Ecouter! Repeter une fois!), practicum, and quizzes in both English and French. I'm not buying the full method yet, but as my first product I've tried, it's seemingly set the bar fairly high.
Aside: M & N have unfortunately fallen victim to this particular experiment. I expect M's first word will be en francais, and his parents will praise their bi-lingual baby, though he fell asleep at two separate times in our drive. N met the lessons with a full-on fit at first, although enjoyed the section on colors, and then fell asleep for the remainder of our drive.
Et maintenaint...
Des nouvelles choses:
a) When pronouncing the French "l," the tip of your tongue should be touching your top teeth.
b) The French "r" is pronounced at the back of the throat.
c) English is spoken using the muscles of the jaw more, while French exercises the mouth muscles more. English speakers should feel as if they're puckering their mouths when speaking French.
d) The word "denim" originated as the fabric was created in a French town called Nim. "de" means "from," or "of," in French, therefore: de Nim becomes "denim." Fantastique!
Et voila! C'est fin.
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