ralph lauren purple label jacket

Ralph Lauren clothes all have different colored labels signifying different styles and quality of his clothing.  Anything that has a purple label on it from Ralph Lauren comes from his "Collection" line, meaning it was on the runway and the prices are astronomical.  You can take a peek here just for fun. The jacket probably originally sold for between $2k-3k.  Last December M and and I were out in the desert going through thrift stores and I stumbled upon the above jacket.  It fits perfectly and was in perfect condition.  Six dollars, no lie.  I went home and scrolled through his runway shows and found it paired with this sequined skirt.

Made of 100% wool and lined in silk, it is quite luxurious.

Made in the USA.

Here it is in a crooked photo with thrift store ripped jeans and thrift store brown kitten heels. So classy.  lol

I am continually amazed at what I find in yard sales, thrift stores and even antique stores.  This definitely goes down at one of my best finds.  On another note, Country Living Magazine has been contacting me lately with lots of little details.  My house will be in the April issue which means it'll be on the news stand in March.  I'm excited and terrified at the same time. x

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another great target tee...

Please forgive this lousy picture but I'm on my way to work and just wanted to let you know that there is another great Target tee for $12!  I've been wearing this soft 3/4 length sleeve tee non-stop. Mostly like this with jeans and booties and my faux leopard  belt but also with a short black skirt, tights and boots.  It's super versatile, well-made and I see me wearing it all year long.  Throw a coat over and I'm good outside too.:)  Just thinking of you! x

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brown and white

It has been so cold here that we've been doing everything possible to try and keep this swiss cheese of a house warm. At 126 years old she does a pretty good job but lately she has been put to the test.  I put up the lined drapes.  These are sold out at Pottery Barn but I love the color and trellis pattern of these.  Larry has put up new weatherstripping around the doors and we've booked an appointment to see about insulating the attic and basement.

I'm loving the soft browns and white though.  Even though we don't have a fireplace it still feels cozy by candlelight day or night.

My dear friend J dropped by unexpectedly yesterday and dropped off this white mum.  Thank you J.
Do you love the detail on this lamp?  I do.  Are any of you still doing the vegan challenge?  How do you feel?  Lighter?  I hope so.  Clear skin, clear eyes, clear conscious.   x

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white bean burritos with mojo verde cilantro sauce

How's it going on your Vegan Challenge?  A few people have asked me why just one week?  It's one week to show you just how easy it is.  Also, when faced with a big change, sometimes breaking it down into smaller pieces makes it seem doable.  Have any of you watched Cowspiracy?  It's streaming on Netflix right now.  Once you see the destruction that animal agriculture is having on the earth you'll understand that changing our diets is going to have to happen regardless of whether we want to or not.  Watch the movie, you'll see what I'm talking about.

The above burrito is filled with refried white beans that are so simple to make.  I make mine from scratch but any can of beans will do.  In a skillet first saute a handful of onions and then add the beans. Add one cup of vegetable broth and smash the beans with a potato masher.  I add chopped jalapeno, salt and pepper. It's got to be one of the fastest, easiest and healthiest meals ever.

I happened to have had a large bunch of cilantro and wanted to make a sauce of some sort and came across the recipe of Jose Andre's.  All I can say about it is wow.  It has elevated my ordinary burrito into something quite spectacular.  I used a food processor but his recipe actually calls for a mortar and pestle.  I didn't have cumin seeds so I just used a teaspoon of ground cumin and it tastes fantastic.

Mojo Verde

Ingredients

6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups well-packed chopped cilantro leaves
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sherry-wine vinegar

Directions

Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and salt to a smooth paste. Add cilantro leaves and cumin seeds; mash until well combined. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while continuing to mash, until all the olive oil is absorbed.

Turning the pestle in a slow, circular motion around the mortar, drizzle in 2 teaspoons water and vinegar. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

makes about ½ cup

I also have tried this sauce on plain pasta because it's so similar to pesto and it was amazing that way also.

x

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chateau marmont

You may or may not remember this little top I got at an estate sale last December.  HERE is that link if you want the details about it.  It's old and weighs a ton and was a little dusty so I gave it a bath in cool water and gentle laundry detergent.  This one to be exact.  In so doing I shrunk it a tiny bit which really bummed me out but it needed cleaning.

I wore the vintage Balmain coat with it.

So you all know M right,  If not here is a link that will aquaint you. M has a nephew, Tosh who is a model and his partner, Carmine is the manager of the Chateau Marmont restaurant. I actually share a birthday with him.  M set up dinner plans for us to go celebrate with them.  The first thing I thought about when she called to tell me this was of course...what will I wear?!  The Chateau is about 80 miles from Redlands but it may as well be a million because 1. It's a place where the rich, famous and trendy hang out and that makes me nervous. 2. It's far.  We spoke daily about what to wear or not wear and in the end this is what I picked.  I loved wearing it and didn't care what anyone else was wearing (thankfully) because most people dining came in jeans, tee shirts and tennis shoes. Whatever.

We were both really excited to go mainly because we were getting a tour of her nephew Tosh's home. M comes from a long line of extremely talented decorators.  Everyone in her family has gorgeous homes and are excellent entertainers.  We were not disappointed.

When we got there, they of course had a beautiful tray of food and ice cold champagne to revive us from the long drive.  Here are some snaps for your enjoyment.

I have decided in my next life I want to be a gay man.  They live life so fully and with such joy. They seem far happier than any hetero-sexual person I know.  They have a fun sense of humor and zest for life and frankly I'd like some of that in mine.

Our gorgeous and gracious hosts...Carmine and Tosh.

Okay, so from there we drove over to the Chateau and were treated like royalty.  The food and wine was delicious and the waiters fawned over us.  No wonder people like being rich.

After dinner we were going to get a tour of the hotel when I mentioned one of my favorite movies, Somewhere, with Stephen Dorff which was filmed there.  Have you seen it?  I didn't think so, no one likes it.  Netflix gives it one star but I think it's touching and quietly powerful. I think I've watched it at least 8 times.  Here is the trailer.  I think Sofia Coppola did a brilliant job and I'm sorry most people didn't get it.  So we get a tour of the suite where the movie was filmed.  I knew every square inch of this suite from the stripper pole bedroom scenes to Elle Fanning cooking in the kitchen.  It was so fun.  Here are some pics.

So that was my birthday.  Nice, right?  M, thank you from the bottom of my heart for such a wonderful wonderful night.  xoxo

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day one - butternut squash soup

Happy happy New Year to you.  Anyone still interested in doing the one week vegan challenge? In case you are, how about a warm, delicious, filling soup for day one?  I just roasted a large butternut squash by slicing it in half and putting it face down on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  I scooped out the insides and added it to a pot on the stove that had 1 small diced onion that was cooking in about a teaspoon of olive oil.  You can use water instead of oil if you want.  Then I added 2 cups of vegetable broth and a cup of plain, organic soy milk.  I seasoned with a tiny bit of salt and pepper and red pepper flakes.  Heated it through and then blended it til smooth. OMG, so delicious and so easy.  Add a green salad and some crusty bread...heaven.

I hope your holidays were beautiful and your new year healthy and peaceful. xo

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