How Not To Be Homesick

So after 5 weeks away from my beloved NYC I'm back! And while I am so so so very very very happy to see my husband, I am a bit homesick. 5 weeks with mommy, daddy & sisters was so fun. I have about 500+pictures to upload. Many tears were shed yesterday at the airport. So many hugs too :)

So what's cheering me up today? New towels. Yes you read that right: brand new fluffy towels. I got them earlier in the summer to replace some randoms we have, had them washed and set them aside for just today. Because really what's better than new towels?

Happy Monday!

xo,

Michelle

Je mange du pain

"Did you know half of Orange County speaks Spanish and we're learning how to order baguettes?!?!"

- The O.C. watch the clip here

For as long as I can remember, Central Florida supermarkets have not had Italian bread. I remember when my grandparents first moved down here, the one thing my grandma missed the most was the crusty Italian bread from Waldbaums. Sure there was French bread in all it's baguette glory but Italian bread could not be found. She wanted Italian bread with the seeds on top. And when my grandma wanted something she let people know it. SO I can only imagine the grief she gave the local Publix. " You say shopping here is a pleasure in your commercials. Well, shopping would be much more of a pleasure if you had real Italian bread" she probably said, sucking her teeth. Refusing, like the good stubborn Taurus she is, to pick up the French bread but after a lot of hemming and hawing realizing it was that or nothing. She loved bread and thanks to genetics I am a carb-a-holic.

Sidenote - we are not Italian by any means, so I laugh that the woman who had jars upon jars of Prego and Ragu sauces cared so much about bread. But that that is besides the point :) Clearly my Grandma was a hoot!

Tonight my mom and I went to Winn/Dixie for among other things, bread to have with dinner. Ravioli, jar sauce and a great salad with home-made dressing. Of course, the choices of bread did not include Italian. We missed the yummy sesame seeds as we dipped our bread in the bits of jar sauce left on our plates. You can't fight those genetics now can you?

Oh...speaking of French, read my sister's blog here about her 8am French class. How do you say Cute college professor alert en francais?!

xo,

Michelle

Can I go back to College?

Tar-jay!

After PreK or Kindergarten I think the best academic event to go 'back to school' for is college.

I love love love 'back to school' shopping. I'm lucky as a teacher to get to do it even as a grown up!

So baby sister is off to be a Freshmen at Florida State. WOo HOo. Today was at least the 3rd dorm related shopping trip and by far one of my favorites because we went to Target. Say it with me now "Tar-jay". You already know I live for it and thankfully only have to travel 13 blocks to get to our closest store. Today in pretty suburban Orlando Target was pure joy. We got all the things Little B needs to make her room comfy cozy and keep it clean. She already has her towels & bedding so this will hopefully be the last trip. We shall see.

~Some basic cleaning supplies - she and 3 other girls will be sharing a bathroom, never hurts to be prepare!

~A pretty 5piece place setting (dish, bowl, silverware) and 2 clear cups

~Iron (which I have to put on my own Target list because ummm we don't have one)

~Very basic alarm/clock radio

~The beauty stuff. Soap, toothpaste, you name it we got 2 of everything so she is well stocked to start the Fall semester off right. Target had a buy 2 get 1 free value pack of toothpaste...I love love love their value deals like this!

~Plastic bin for said beauty/shower stuff.

~and Hello Kitty pencils from the Dollar Bins. SCORE! I mean what more does a girl need for school?

A few trips ago she got the very handy 3-draw plastic bin so as she buys things they go into the draws to help the packing process next week. I have one of those bins in the bathroom at home and it's so great. It will possibly get emptied once she's at school or just kept as a nice storage container for all her 'extras'. My problem with Target happens with the dorm stuff - it's all seasonal so if she'd like an extra place setting come October it will all be gone. Sucks. The turnover of merchandise there is incredible.

I officially miss college so so much. And would like to somehow go back and relive all the fun of Senior year for another 4 years. :)

On the subject of 'back to school' please take a look at "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" by write Robert Fulghum "Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap." Very true indeed.

xo,

Michelle

Coffee Talk

"Coffee-Mate you the love of my life"

We have a situation. Dad, who is so great and gets us our coffee-mate, thinks we are using too much. I have a secret for you Dad, the coffee you make in the morning is waaaaaaaay too strong so we have to put in a serious amount of creamer for us to be able to drink it. Apparently he told Mom this morning "Creamer is like a condiment. You use just a small amount." Ummmmm ok. We all had a good laugh at that one.

While I know it may seem weird to be drinking coffee while in hot & humid Florida it is a nice change from all the iced coffee drinks I was getting up in NYC. Unsure if it is iced coffee weather where you are? Check out "Is It Iced Coffee Weather", enter your zip code and presto - you'll find out if you should get your coffee hot or on ice.

"Creamer is like a condiment" Really dad? :) I'm just kidding around of course, poor man with his wife and three daughters using the creamer faster than he can buy another bottle. Perhaps he needs the coffee more than we do!

xo,

Michelle

I Blame the Ikea Catalogue or how I've started nesting

my kitchen...Jan '08..oy vey

Yes nesting. And I blame Ikea. And- before we go any further I know what you're thinking. Nesting = preggos. Nope not it! Just your average "girly" nesting. I suppose it has something to do with living in a small apt and spending the last 3 weeks in a nice house in the 'burbs. Seeing how I have 3 more weeks here I don't think these urges to nest are going anywhere soon.

BUT thankfully since I am away from home I'm not doing any monetary damage. I am however doing lots of internet browsing and catalogue flipping.

It all started with the new Ikea catalogue. Ohhh the pretty pages. I love how they include layouts for different rooms. I suppose it's not very imaginative to just say "I want the Ikea kitchen" but it does simplify things. No fuss no muss decorating? I'm in. Anything would be an improvement for us at this point.

Then there was an awesome post by a twitter friend of mine..Life in a Venti Cup about 'Giada worthy kitchens' Giada as in FoodNetwork's own Giada de Laurentis. And she's not kidding around. These are kitchens you'd see on a cooking show set and would be so lucky to have. If only there was a prep crew in a real life who would do all the pre and post cooking work.

And finally there's the gallery on Kitchens.com where I dream of the kitchen I haven't met yet. Will I be Rustic? Modern? Choices Choices. But ohhh stainless steel appliances...pot racks over the island...tiled backsplashes...

A girl can dream!

xo,

Michelle

Je t'aime France!

If you love Paris and all things French then you will LOVE this giveaway on Murphy's New Law

which includes some real goodies: Mariages Freres tea, Fauchon chocolate biscuitsand a Longchamp key fob. Oh lala indeed. Head over today and enter by 5pm.

xo,

Michelle

Great Blog

New great blog full of pretty things

Made By Girl Jennifer Ramos, designer and blogger, has simply fabulous taste & style. Love her stuff.

Check it out! Thanks to my sister for finding it in the first place :)


Vacation is fabulous - this is what we do all day: coffee, lay out in the sun, refreshing with cool H20, eat yummy homecooked food and watch Gilmore Girls. Tis delightful.

xo,

Michelle