Happy Sunday: Writing & the Oscars!

Having time to write a blog post and watch the Oscars makes it a Happy Sunday for me! The last 5 weeks have been a whirlwind with more going on then I could possibly type in a blog posting.  I have been on a schedule of waking up at 4am and getting to work by 6am for a brief gig working for the News. This week was my first week back to a normal schedule of being able to sleep until 7am.  After a week, my body still can’t figure out what schedule I am trying to put it on.   I think I will need another week to get there.  Most of all, I’m happy I actually have the energy to be writing a blog entry!  I have been busy nearly every night this week (including my days, of course) and I’ve been working all weekend so as soon as I leave the shop tonight I will feel a wave of relief that I can put myself in front of the Oscars and do nothing but be entertained.  I ran over to Grano today for take out and what an awesome little Italian place.  It is welcoming, relaxed and has great food.  Enjoy your Sunday evening whether you watch the Oscars or not.  If you aren’t watching the Oscars, then why not head to Grano?

Jetson style stroller is here, it just doesn’t fly (yet).

Origami Stroller

I may not have kids, but when I saw this stroller came out I laughed and had to read the specifics.This Jetson style stroller is lit on the underside of it so you can clearly see everything beneath your feet.  I pictured it being illuminated on on the underside, but hovering above the ground like a Jetson mobile. I’m thinking the hovering feature will be next because with all this strollers bells and whistles it weighs 29 lbs. and isn’t anything someone wants to lift along with holding a little one.  A GPS style device sits on top that tells you via a sensor your child is actually in the seat, how charged up your battery is (it has a phone charger too) and how far you’ve trotted with your little one. A push of a button makes it collapse or open up.  It retails for about $850.00.

French inspired home in a bottle

Oh what a week it’s been.  I was up by 4am each morning to get to work by 6am and as of yesterday (Friday) afternoon I was spent.  Sometimes when I’m maxed out I just need to sleep. The other half of the time I simply need to be at home in my space doing what I love to do.  I had laundry and tidying up to do in the apt. and eventually I reached for my iron and ironing board.  My Grandmother from my father’s side was always big on ironing.  I seem to have gotten her ironing gene. It relaxes me.  So, I pulled the freshly laundered sheets out of the dryer and put them straight on top of the iron board, spraying them with Panier des Sens en Provence Linen Water as I ironed, making any wrinkles disappear.  You can spritz your towels with it or any linens for that matter and wa-lah, you have a French inspired home that smells divine.  They have different scents to suit your fancy. I assure you, this bottle which is less than $20 will make all the difference in your home.

Kate Spade windows have it right.

Kate Spade is on my block, two Avenues over so I regularly walk by the shop en route home. Overall, their windows are a delight to look at whenever I pass by.  They seem to be trending statements on their merchandise this season that hit it just right when it comes to how one feels in the middle of a cold winter.  Temperatures in the city have been frigid in the teens and feeling more like single digits with wind factors added in.  When I saw this hat in their window my head went directly to seeing it on my head while sitting on a pristine beach in my bikini.  I thought, please send me there now.  I have no doubt it says it right for anyone else experiencing single digit temperatures:

If you can’t make it to the pristine beach vacation I’m imagining, then why not take the bags advice in their next window:

Sometimes a bubble bath is the only answer.


I don’t know about you, but a cocktail, glass of wine or a cold beer sometimes just doesn’t cut it for me.
When I am maxed my definite go to is a bubble bath.  It just clears my mind, while putting me into super relaxation mode.  I’ve tried different bubble baths, but the one that I love most is Kiehls Lavender Foaming Bath.  As far as I’m concerned, it’s a must have for every girl out there.  Try it out.  I know I get out of the tub feeling like a new person from it and hope you do too.

It’s ski season! Hello Jay Peak, Vermont!


I grew up learning to ski on Hunter Mountain in upstate New York.  Hunter Mountain was not the Hunter Mountain it is today. No houses were built on the mountain, there was a SMALL lodge and it wasn’t known by many.  Eventually, word spread of the snowmaking mountain and since then homes have been built into the terrain and it’s now a crowded place to go. The reason myself and at least half of my nine siblings learned to ski on Hunter Mountain as kids was my Italian God Father, Uncle Carlo Brigida had built a house there with his NYU college friends (while still in College) to get away to each weekend.  That six bedroom college house eventually became a house of skiing cousins.  Fast forward to about 6 years ago and my immediate family started implementing a ski week each winter always at different ski resorts.  It’s during those years that we tried out Jay Peak, VT and it was an instant favorite.

Consequently, my brother bought a ski house at Jay a little over a year ago and every time we go, its a blast.  The reason being is it’s easy for everyone to enjoy themselves no matter what the age.  Kids can ski home when they are tired and the adults can continue on until they decide it’s time to ski down to the lodge for a cold beer and then take a shuttle home.  There’s an ice skating arena for kids around the corner and most recently, they opened up a huge indoor waterpark that has a bar within in it for the parents sanity.  Now, talk about fun.  This place has it down.  It does take a while to get there.  From New York City its about a six and a half hour drive.  You can take a flight into Burlington, but once you go to the airport and deal with all that commotion you might as well just road trip it.  Jay is known for always having snow on the mountain.  It is almost to the Canadian border so it is probably made up of about 40% Canadians and %60 US citizens.  Whatever the breakdown, the people are super nice and I definitely recommend you try it out.  Oh, and they just opened a new hotel on the mountain and word has it, with very reasonable prices.  I was also told it’s almost fully booked for the year, so call sooner rather than later if interested.
Happy Ski season wherever you go, but you should definitely put Jay on the list!