Recovery....

I'm alive! 4 Pins, screws and staples later... I'm alive. Pained but healthy.

Surgery went well (longer than expected) for both feet. I have to be honest and tell you that this has been very difficult. Having to rely on everyone to do little things like pour water, carry you to the bathroom, basically baby me.... made me feel completely helpless for weeks. I've always been the strong independent "I can do it" one, to know I wasn't was difficult for me. I am so thankful for the friends and family that helped and made an effort to make me smile. I am so blessed to have them love me... feeling thankful!

Now I'm up and more mobile but sporting plastic removable casts and a black cane for longer distance walks. Ill be back to work next week and looking forward to my new role. 

Yep a new role! I was recently promoted and I've been on cloud 9 since. I figure I have a month to get comfortable before school begins in the fall since I've signed up for 3 night classes to boot! New job, 3 classes and 2 new feet! Ready for this exciting half of the year!

My summer has been one of the quietest summers thus far but I've come to accept it. Healing is more important than anything right now. Summer 2014 has been quiet and mellow.... Now come to think of it, my life has been so busy and scheduled this is exactly what I needed to slow down before life takes off!

Some random  (kinda boring) summer snapshots.....

Some of my summer reads while laid up.....& my RH Blanket

1st Foot Done! Marked up with a marker....

Just me and my boot post 2nd surgery....

Getting some air outside my apt....

My new summer MUST HAVE PURCHASES! Sorial Tote Bag (Vegan)

Celebrating one of my best friends beautiful Parisian inspired Bridal Showers - rocked my surgery boot as best I could! 

Loving my Panama Hat by JCrew, it runs a bit big so size down if you order online (it's a JCrew thing....)



Well, Im looking forwad to writing more frequently now that I am on the up and up. Hope you have been enjoying your summer!

xo
Meems

AU RE•VOIR ...

I wanted to let you know that I will be taking a brief hiatus from the blog. Due to my upcoming surgery this week I have a bunch of responsibilities to handle. I need to make sure my life is in order for a few weeks spent laying down. 

Thankfully, I have my books ready to read, my work and home office up and running (ie my couch) and my pantry stocked with healthy foods. 

I will try to blog when I start to feel better but until then I plan on sleeping the pain away. I hope you all enjoy the summer weather we have been blessed with these past few days.

& lastly,  trust I will miss you.

xo

Meems

WALK IT OFF

THROWING SHADE

The sun, I love it and hate it. To clarify... my skin hates it!

The damaging effects the sun has on my skin is no longer worth the summer glow I used to work so hard for in past summers. Besides, I can obtain the same glow with the help of  self tanners (insert skin god's singing). Thankfully, smart sun protection no longer makes you look unfashionable.

See, a well-designed hat is not only attractive, stylish and wearable, but also functional. Whether it is completing your look, offering great sun protection , or offering privacy, a hat helps us feel and look alluring, smart and .... better.

In protecting our skin from the harmful effects of the sun, a hat truly fulfills its role as an object of style and practicality:

• A wide-brimmed (3-inch or greater) hat covers places where it is difficult to apply sunscreen (i.e. neck, ears, scalp etc.)
• When you're wearing a hat, your face has more protection than with sunscreen alone.
• A hat will shade your eyes, protecting the delicate skin & keeping you from squinting in the sun - less squinting less wrinkles!
• A hat in the summer can help keep you cool while looking chic 
• When need be, take it off and fan yourself & if your hair is not cooperating, just throw on a panama or fedora and instantly you look pulled together.

Here are some hats that have made my favorite summer list. 

I hope this inspires you to find the most perfect summer hat to shade those sun rays.

xo

Meems

MAKE YOUR BED - A SMALL LIFE LESSON

I came across this great article Memorial Day weekend and wanted to share one piece of it with you.

William H. McRaven is an admiral, former commander of the Navy’s SEAL Team 3 and current commander of the US Special Operations Command — the man who led the mission to get Osama bin Laden. On May 17, he gave the commencement address for his alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, which touched graduates with its earnest, simple advice about living a better life. This Memorial Day, an excerpt: 

*********************************************************************************

If you will humor this old sailor for just a moment, I have a few suggestions that may help you on your way to a better world.

And while these lessons were learned during my time in the military, I can assure you that it matters not whether you ever served a day in uniform.

It matters not your gender, your ethnic or religious background, your orientation, or your social status.

Our struggles in this world are similar and the lessons to overcome those struggles and to move forward — changing ourselves and the world around us — will apply equally to all.

He then continues to go through 10 Lessons... the 1st one I want to share with you:

Every morning in basic SEAL training, my instructors, who at the time were all Vietnam veterans, would show up in my barracks room, and the first thing they would inspect was your bed.

If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the rack — rack, that’s Navy talk for bed.

It was a simple task — mundane at best. But every morning we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that we were aspiring to be real warriors, tough, battle-hardened SEALs — but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over.

If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.

By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.

If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.

And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made — and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.

Click here for the article in its entirety


& Hats off to you McRaven!

xo
Meems

PREACH ON!

MY "BUMMER OF A SUMMER" READING LIST

As I countdown to my surgery (s), June and July, I am crossing off all of my to do lists that need to be completed. One item on my list is to find a few good books that I can get lost in. Sure, I'll be in stuck in the living room with TV but honestly TV shows these days bore me. Except the BRAVO network. I JUST LOVE ME SOME ANDY COHEN! 

Last month, I started reading Thrive by Arianna Huffington but I can't see myself reading such a book while being helplessly laid out this summer. Motivational books make me want to go conquer the world & how the hell can I conquer with broken feet?! I have a desire to get lost in a good story.

I came across a few good summer books and I think these puppies will be in rotation on my nightstand/coffee table..... Here they are!

RULES OF CIVILITY This sophisticated and entertaining first novel presents the story of a young woman whose life is on the brink of transformation. On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker, happens to sit down at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a year-long journey into the upper echelons of New York society—where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve. With its sparkling depiction of New York’s social strata, its intricate imagery and themes, and its immensely appealing characters, Rules of Civility won the hearts of readers and critics alike.

SUZANNE DAVIS GETS A LIFE Suzanne Davis lounges around her tiny NYC apartment in her pajamas, writing press releases listening to the ticking of her biological clock, and wondering where life is taking her. As her 35th birthday looms, Suzanne embarks on a wrong-headed, but very funny, quest—to find Mr. Right and start the family she hopes will give meaning to her life. 

Her quest plunges us into the world of her Upper West Side apartment building, a world of overly invested mothers, fanatical dog-owners, curmudgeonly longtime residents, and young (and not so young) professionals. All are keenly observed by Suzanne, whose witty self-deprecation endears her to us even as it makes us want to shake some sense into her. 

Light in its tone but incisive in its social satire, Suzanne Davis Gets a Life balances its wit with true concern for its protagonist.

CUTTING TEETH One of the most anticipated debut novels of 2014, Cutting Teeth takes place one late-summer weekend as a group of thirty-something couples gather at a shabby beach house on Long Island, their young children in tow.

Cutting Teeth is about the complex dilemmas of early midlife—the vicissitudes of friendship, of romantic and familial love, and of sex. It’s about class tension, status hunger, and the unease of being in possession of life's greatest bounty while still wondering, is this as good as it gets? And, perhaps most of all, Julia Fierro’s warm and unpretentious debut explores the all-consuming love we feel for those we need most, and the sacrifice and compromise that underpins that love.

THE PHANTOM OF FIFTH AVENUE 

Born in 1906, Huguette Clark grew up in her family's 121-room Beaux Arts mansion in New York and was one of the leading celebrities of her day. Her father William Andrews Clark, was a copper magnate, the second richest man in American, and not above bribing his way into the Senate. Huguette attended the coronation of King George V. And at twenty-two with a personal fortune of $50 million to her name, she married a Princeton man and childhood friend William MacDonald Gower. Two-years later the couple divorced. 

After a series of failed romances, Huguette began to withdraw from society--first living with her mother in a kind of Grey Gardens isolation then as a modern-day Miss Havisham, spending her days in a vast apartment overlooking Central Park, eating crackers and watching The Flintstones with only servants for company.

All her money and all her real estate could not protect her in her later life from being manipulated by shady hangers-on and hospitals that were only too happy to admit (and bill) a healthy woman. But what happened to Huguette that turned a vivacious, young socialite into a recluse? And what was her life like inside that gilded, copper cage?

FIRST FRENCH ESSAIS

Kristin struggles--and eventually succeeds--in learning French in school, but the real lessons begin when she lands in France, to start her adult life with a Marseillais. From quitting her first stable job (as a glorified janitor) near St. Tropez, to dusting off her dream of writing, Kristin pursues 'la vie en rose' only to discover that reality is... muddy! There are no clear instructions on how to behave in France.

Filled with delightful photos and tender essays, Kristin's memoir shows us how she overcomes these cultural "tests", always finishing with an "A" for amour de la vie!

Some Book options via TSLLB

What books can you recommend? Id love to know what you plan on getting lost in this summer?

xo
Meems

MDW '14 MISC.

It's the freaking weekend!!!!

We will be celebrating our Memorial Day in NYC this year. So much to do in this beautiful city. We also have a trip planned to NJ for a birthday BBQ tomorrow (crossing fingers the sun comes out to play) and the rest spent running around the city we love. 

Check out this awesome summer food idea... Next time you get your friends together step up your food game with this delicious spread! Via the Senses Five

For you Fashionistas on a budget (ahem, you should all be on a budget) Start your summer wardrobe by checking out these great sales.....

Asos:  20% off everything with code “WEBEGRILLIN” through May 28th. 

Nordstrom: Up to 40% off sale. 

JCrew:  25% off packing picks with code “PACKME” through May 24th. 

Gap: 40% off regular priced items with code “EVENT” through May 26th. 

DVF:  Extra 30% off all sale items with code “SUMMER30″ through May 26th. 

To my Beach babies....Slather on your sunscreen, chill out with a salty Margarita and listen to some feel good summer beats  to get your weekend popp'n! Enjoy my beauties~

Bag Raiders: Shooting Stars

M83: Midnight City 

Bon Iver: Towers 

Delilah: So Irate

Ed Sheeran & Passenger: No Diggity

Betoko vs. Gemma: Wicked Games

Whatever your MDW plans are.....be safe and make beautiful summer memories.

xo 
Meems

FEED ME

This rain is making me want to stuff my face with comfort food. & I am giving in! 

Ok, so it's not the greasy, cheesy, salty food I envision stuffing my face with butttttttt this dish hits the spot and sans guilt, calories and fat. Trust me on this one.

• Dice up or cut  3 - 4 Large Sweet Potatoes
• Drizzle with good EVO and sprinkle kosher salt and cinnamon all over
• Bake in the oven at 375 for 30 mins, turning over once.
• Sprinkle with more kosher and cinnamon before serving

HEAVEN IN YOUR MOUTH! 

Easy and Healthy, plus your home smells so warm and cozy.

Oh! I almost forgot about the dip. 

Add 2 tablespoons of Vegenaise and 1 table spoon of your favorite Buffalo sauce. A quick stir and a snap. Ok, no snap necessary but it helps bring a smile.

Enjoy

xo

Meems

LOOK UP

xo
Meems

ugh

So, I'm finally doing what I've been pushing off for a few years. Foot surgery. I met with my podiatrist today to discuss my future surgery and I am taking the dive.  

& I'm scared to death.

Background: Since I can remember, I have had bones that protrude on either side of my feet, quite unattractive but more so painful than anything. I'm sure 17 years of intensive ballet school didn't help. I have been made fun for years both to my face and behind my back for as long as I can remember. I don't understand why people can be so mean? 

I can't take another summer spent hiding my feet in the sand, cringing when I wear flip flops or feeling extreme pain when I wear my riding boots, or my high heels, even my ballet flats and oh yea, sneakers... yes sneakers even hurt like hell. 

A reason Ive put this off has been because of my lifestyle. I'm busy with a very busy moving schedule. To have to put my life on hold for 3 weeks on bed rest seems nearly impossible. No summer classes either :(

& the gym... No elliptical, No treadmill No stair climber for 3 months! 3 months! I yelped when the doctor told me.  But Ill tell you this, Ill have my upper body and core looking reallllll good because at least I will be able to work out my upper body. Don't judge the girl with surgical sneakers on the chest press.

Another reason I have put this off has been my love of shoes. As I've matured I've learned this really doesn't matter anymore. Well, not entirely anymore just not as much as I once thought.  As for my gorgeous high heel collection....(insert tears) well, I don't even want to think about those babies. I hate to sound so superficial but my beautiful shoes! One day, someday.... I will be able to dust them off and wear them if all goes planned. I've come to accept that it will be a long time before I'm able to strut down 5th Avenue in those beauties. 

A total of 3 months in the NYC heat  hobbling on crutches.  Oh this will be fun.

But, it is ok. Really. I've put this off long enough. The surgery will consist of WARNING *Don't read if you are squeamish: Shaving my bones down, breaking my bones to realign with screws & metal rods then finally re-navigating my muscles, tendons and ligaments. 

I've been asked how painful this surgery is on a scale of 1 to10? Hmmm. Well you tell me what a total foot reconstruction would feel like? My guess is that this will hurt like *^*$(@ hell!

& That my friend is my Friday. 

I normally end off on a good note, but I'm not feeling like that today. I have the rest of the weekend to study for finals and then choose the dates for the surgery.

 ****update*** 
I aced my finals! I continue to hold a 4.0! Not easy but totally worth it.

Sigh.

Meems

THE GOOD POSTURE POST

Sit up straight! Walk taller!

Look in the mirror and see what good posture can do for you. Haven been a trained ballerina standing tall and sitting up straight comes naturally to me. People often think I am on the taller side, the honest truth is its all in the way I stand and sit. I'm just under 5'6, but with my posture and heels I come off taller.

Good posture can instantly make a woman appear slimmer and refined. Pulled back shoulders and a head held high can even make you appear younger. Have you ever seen an attractive woman hunched over? I've seen it may times and it is not pleasing to the eye. A woman who walks with good posture can surely turn heads. There is a mystery behind her confidence... 

One thing my grandmother always instilled in me was exactly what this post is on. She believed the better the posture the less chance of having spinal issues and turning into a hunchback in my older years. Its funny how the older generations have such sound advice. I wish I could remember all the words she spoke of, she was such an incredible person.... 

Ok, back to my post.

Did you know that poor posture also leads to several other problems like improper digestion?

Here are some simple tips to help you get started.

1. Remember change is not easy. For some, you may experience an uncomfortable feeling because you are pulling your muscles in a way you haven't before. Allow time to get used to the new you.

2. Sit like a Regal Royal. Head straight, shoulders pulled back and your legs crossed at the ankles. Crossing your legs at the knees may look appealing but if you are trying to keep good health, cross at the ankles.

3. Walk like you own the room. Look up, not down and your shoulders should not be slumped over.Even if you are feeling less than confident, standing tall may be the boost you need to feel better about yourself (for those few minutes at least). Making such a small adjustment can reap such high rewards. You may even get " You look like you lost weight!" compliment.

I hope I've inspired you to sit up during this post, even if it were for the quick minute reading. 

So, how do you practice good posture? 

xo
Meems

A DELICIOUS DELIVERY!

If you are an avid reader of my blog, you know part of my Sunday routine is spent enjoying brunch at Le Pain Quotidien. This place is one of my favorite spots in NYC to eat a healthy and oh so delicious meal.

Of course, when I learned they had a recipe book I had to jump on it. I came home and read it cover to cover. So many meals, not enough time!  There is one recipe in particular that caught my hungry eye. 

My book and my gorgeous agate rock! A HG find :)

Now, generally Im not a fan of apples but this, my friend, looks too damn good to not try out. When I saw this dessert and read the title, my heart did a pitter padder!

APPLE, OLIVE OIL & LAVENDER CAKE

The lavender honey gives this cake a fresh, slightly floral aroma, but you can try using different types of honey in this recipe to subtly vary the flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

(SERVES 4‑6)

4 COOKING APPLES (SUCH AS GRANNY SMITH OR BRAMLEY), PEELED, CORED AND CUT INTO 8–10 CHUNKS
5 TBSP ALL-PURPOSE (PLAIN) FLOUR, SIFTED
5 TBSP SUPERFINE (CASTER) SUGAR
5 TBSP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
1 TSP BAKING POWDER
4 EGGS
2/3 CUP (150ML) LAVENDER HONEY
2 SPRIGS DRIED LAVENDER


Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and line an 8 inch cake pan with nonstick parchment paper, then place the apple pieces inside. You can make 4–6 individual mini-cakes, if you prefer.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, olive oil, baking powder and 2 of the eggs, then pour the batter over the apples. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven. Increase the oven setting to 400ºF.
3. Whisk the remaining 2 eggs with the honey, then pour this mixture over the cake. Return to the oven and bake for another 15–20 minutes, until golden brown and the tines of a fork inserted into the middle come out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and turn out onto a plate while still warm. Serve warm with cream, crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream

& Voila! Ill let you know how it turns out and Id love to hear and see if I inspired you to try it this weekend.

xo

Meems

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE.....

image via Luxuria & Poem by click here

A woman should have

one old love she can imagine going back to, 

and one who reminds her how far she has come.

A woman should have

enough money within her control to 

move out and rent a place of her own

even if she never wants to or needs to.

A woman should have

something perfect to wear if the employer 

or date of her dreams wants to

see her in an hour

A woman should have

a youth she is content to leave behind.

A woman should have

a past juicy enough that she’s looking 

forward to retelling it in her old age.

A woman should have

a set of screwdrivers, 

a cordless drill and a black lace bra.

A woman should have

one friend who always makes her laugh 

and one who lets her cry.

A woman should have

a good piece of furniture not previously owned 

by anyone else in her family.

A woman should have eight matching plates, 

wine glasses with stems 

and a recipe for a meal 

that will make her guests feel honoured.

A woman should have

a feeling of control over her destiny.

Every woman should know

how to fall in love without losing herself.

Every woman should know

how to quit a job,

break up with a lover,

and comfort a friend 

without ruining the friendship.

Every woman woman should know

when to try harder….

and when to walk away.

Every woman should know

that she can’t change the length of her calves, 

the width of her hips or the nature of her parents.

Every woman should know

that her childhood may not have been perfect……

but it’s over.

Every woman should know

what she would and wouldn't do for love.

Every woman should know

how to live alone……even if she doesn't like it.

Every woman should know

whom she can trust, whom she can’t,

and why she shouldn't take it personally.

Every woman should know

where to go

be it to her best friends kitchen table

or a charming inn in the woods

when her soul needs soothing.

Every woman should know

What she can and can’t accomplish in a day…..

a month……and a year.

xo
Meems

IMAGE OVERLOAD - MET GALA 2014

The first weekend in May brings to NYC green budding leaves, blossomed cherry trees and high high fashion! 

Living blocks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC where the MET GALA is held every year is one of the perks of my NYC pad. Seeing all the Black Cars roll up on your block is something that gets every hair up on my arm. One star looking more fabulous than the next. Anyway, I hope you enjoy these as much as I do! 

Which is your favorite look?

xo
Meems