Guilty Pleasures

Catbird Rings

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My 7th grade daughter, Tusia, has been on the search for the perfect rings for quite some time. Problem is, she has tiny little fingers, and we didn’t want to break the bank with a ring. So when I remembered Catbird — a Brooklyn based Jewelry company that I fell in love with two decades ago, I knew it was the perfect place for us to go look at for rings. And it was EVERYTHING and more than we had hoped for. The staff was incredible, all the jewelry beyond perfect, reasonable prices, and exactly what we were looking for.

 

We ended up getting two rings so she could stack them. She wanted them on her pointer finger — and they literally had every size imaginable — so it was perfect.

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Chocolate Croissants x 2

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YUMMMMMMM. One of my family’s favorite food items is chocolate croissants — I mean, WHO doesn’t love chocolate croissants??? So when in the Flatiron area of Manhattan last Friday, I fell upon not one, but two, different bakeries, that were so beautiful and scrumptious, that I had to get something at each. First off….

 

Lysee

 

The store looked like a museum. On the ground floor, there was a sit down cafe, and to order take out, you walked up the stairs to where the baked goods were all displayed and where you placed the order. Even the bags are beyond chic and beautiful.

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Amazon Socks

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I know that this is weird, but I discovered the best socks on Amazon, and I need to share them with you. 10 socks for less than 25 dollars. Not only is the price amazing (some times socks cost 25 dollars per PAIR!!! This is 10 pairs for 25 dollars!!!), but the socks themselves are the perfect sock. The colors, the fit, the comfort, the appropriate thickness — they check every box. Every time I reach for a pair of socks in my (unorganized) sock bin, I hope to grab one of these pairs. They are hands down the best socks.

 

Technically, they are men’s socks, but they are a perfect fit for men and women! I love the Fall color scheme of them, too.

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Currently Loving November 2024

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This morning when I was walking the dog, I was in disbelief that there were Christmas lights on so many of the stores along Madison Avenue….but then I realized, we are 2/3 done with November and it is almost December….how did this happen? In any case, Christmas light season here we are. And here is what I am currently loving.

 

1. Bonbon Candies

 

When I went to visit Cruzzie, I thought it would be nice to bring him and his friends something from NYC to CA. It had to be compact, easy to travel with, and something everything would like — which turns out to be candy. Bonbon candy. It was a huge hit and worth lugging it across the country.

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Eva Masaki Sunglasses

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There is nothing more awkward than me taking a selfie, but here it is! Me and a selfie wearing sunglasses. I recently discovered Eva Masaki sunglasses and I love (that said, my daughter hates them on me and is not a fan). They are a statement, but sometimes, it is fun to change things up and have a different look, and these are definitely different than my normal sunglasses I wear.

 

Awkward photo. Cute glasses.

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Jelly Shoes

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Yes, I realize that this is a trend of the summer and we are now in November (but, hello it is in the 70s this week in NYC!), but when one of your most stylish friends tells you about her favorite shoe — you buy it. I would buy everything and anything she tells me to. And this time around — a pair of jelly shoes from AMAZON! Yep, AMAZON. Done, done, done.

 

Plastic jelly, so super comfortable. And fun to wear!

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Marathon Signs

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One of my favorite days of the year in NYC is Marathon Day. There is an electric feel everywhere you go — so many people with smiles, cheering people on for accomplishing something they dreamed of doing, an inexplainable excitement. Truly a magical day in the city. The second best thing to RUNNING the marathon, is cheering all the runners on. Since this year, I ran the Chicago Marathon and have been dealing with a nagging injury (I can barely run right now, which is devastating, but resting it is the best thing for it), I opted out of running the NYC marathon, and instead cheered everyone on. And what a glorious day it was! With Tusia and two of her friends, we decided to make signs to go cheer everyone on at mile 25.  Making signs was a great activity in itself!

 

The first problem was trying to find poster board. We didn’t think about making signs until. the day of, and on Sunday morning, no store nearby had poster boards. So I had to get creative with how to make a poster board — in this case, I had a big gift bag, that I cut into parts, put white paper on the side, and taped it all together. You do what you gotta do!

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Pop Up Bagels

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One of Tusia’s best friends brought over THE BEST BAGELS AND BUTTER I have ever tasted. Currently all the rage, Pop Up Bagels, is rumored to be one of the best (if not the best) bagel in NYC at this time.

 

They have a lot of locations in the tristate area — 3 in the city (UWS, UES, downtown) — Westchester, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Every time I have walked by, the lines have been out the door. So when our bestie stopped by with bagels and butter for us, it was a win win HAPPY day!

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Tatter Textile — Basket Weaving Class

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You know how small the world is? Small — but here is an example of how small it actually is. When we were trying to figure out if Thacher was the right school for Cruz or not, we were put in touch with a NYC parent who has kids attend Thacher. This woman, happened to be the owner of Tatter Texile. I had no idea what Tatter was, but when I told my mom, she explained that Tatter is a textile store / workshop / library that she takes a million of zoom classes from. So when this summer I became interested in basket weaving, my mom signed me up for a basket class AT Tatter. I loved every minute of it — not just making the basket, but meeting the owner (Jordana — lovely human), being crafty, and getting a taste of Tatter and its beauty! Tatter offers a slew of different classes in all different art forms — highly recommend checking it out!

 

The beautiful library – I LOVE the sofa.

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Basket Weaving Class

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My mom is an avid crafter — even more so than me — so last week, she told me that she had accidentally signed up for two different zoom workshops at the same time, and so could I take one of them. Since I love crafts and had nothing else to do, I jumped at the chance. Basket weaving. A 4 (yes 4!!!!) hour zoom class where they taught you how to weave a basket. They sent a box with all the supplies – the needle, scissors, everything. The box is from Flax and Twine and I cannot wait to purchase more of these kits.

 

The box came with all the material.

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Sea Glass Space Invader

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As mentioned last week, I am obsessed with sea glass. I am equally as obsessed with Space Invaders. So, this week, I combined the two! LOOK!

 

When we were in Europe, we found 52 space invaders! 49 in Paris, 2 in Menorca, and 1 in Sainte Maxima. This was the last one on our last full day in Europe! So exciting.

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Electrolytes

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My sister from another mister is someone that she says BUY, I do it. I mean, we bought our dog from the same breeder — same dog, same breeder. We didn’t even ask questions — she is just the type of person that has the best taste (except our dog likes to bark a lot and is super anxious, but the best nonetheless) and always knows the best of everything. So when I ran the Big Sur Marathon this past Spring and stayed with her for a night, she told me to drink these electrolytes — Ultima — and so I did. No questions asked. AND NOW I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THEM. They are the best best best thing in the world and I am drinking a lot more water now, because of her. Not only that, my kids love them, too. And they are drinking more water because of this too. So this, my friends, is a PA, to get these electrolytes and improve your water intake!

 

You can get big tubs of them, but I prefer to get the individual packets. I know, I know, not as environmentally friendly, but so handy to put one of them in my purse for later, or just to grab and go.

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Serpent Sea Customized Needlepoint Canvas

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My favorite new needlepoint to create (and gift) is a customized needlepoint zipper pouch that looks like an old school air envelope. There is something fun, retro, beautiful about it that instantly called my attention. So since I discovered Serpent Sea, I have made four of these pouches!

 

So many different options!

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Deep Tissue Massage Roller

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As a runner, parts of my body are always sore. I have tried to foam roll but I have failed consistently at doing so. So when I read about a Deep Tissue Massage Roller that acts as a foam roller, but better, I knew I needed it. I first read about it in the NYTimes Running Section, and the author was just like me — always sore, not dedicated to a foam roller, and on the look out for the soreness to be reduced! And I am so happy that I read this article and bought the R8 Deep Tissue Massage Roller Recovery — I LOVE IT.

 

It is sold on Amazon, but at the time I bought it, it was sold out, so I went directly to their website. It arrived very quickly.

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Natori Adapt Strapless Bra

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A devoted and loyal Feathers Bra lover, I veered away from my normal route of only wearing Feathers bras, and tried a different strapless bra. Yes, I will only ever wear my daily Feathers bra, but for strapless bras, I loved the Adapt Bandeau Strapless! It was uber comfortable AND pretty. Win win.

 

A sleek and supportive underwire bandeau designed to be both functional and beautiful.

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Heatless Curlers

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My daughter is OBSESSED with heatless curlers these days. Although she has incredibly beautiful hair as is, she does not love the fact that her hair is wavy only in the back. Therefore, she likes to have it curled most days, to look more polished and even. That said, she is aware (probably from my complaining) that curling your hair is not good and can damage your hair due to the heat. So, she found online, (thank you TikTok), heatless curlers. It is easy, simple, cheap, and SUPER effective.

 

The curling set. You put this in your hair when going to bed.

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The Retrievals – Podcast

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It has been a good long while since I have listened to a series on a podcast — 2014(!!!) with Serial.  So when a friend told me that I had to listen to The Retrievals and I finally found a big chunk of time (urgent care waiting to be seen after a stray cat bit me), I started. And once you start, you cannot stop.

 

SO GOOD.

 

The series is composed of 5 episodes produced from Serial Production and The New York Times. It is the story of dozens of women who went to Yale Fertility Center for their egg retrievals (egg freezing or IVF), and endured incredible pain, as a result of their nurse swapping their pain medicine with saline water to feed her own drug addiction. It is an incredible series with all sides looked at and examined.

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Currently Loving August 2023

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I realize that August is practically over, but wanted to squeeze in with some of the things I love right now!

 

1. Taylor Swift Maroon

 

can NOT stop. This is one of my absolute favorite songs right now. Must listen to. Taylor did not perform this at her concert, but because I have been on a deep Taylor Swift dive, I am listening and loving them all.

 

2.  Nike

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Summer 2023 Running Playlist

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I have so many new playlists this summer that I find it almost overwhelming to choose which one to listen to! Recently, one of Ken’s best friends from boarding school and I decided to share music with one another, and it has been so fun building these playlists.

 

On my run last Friday when I picked up Cruzzie from camp, I spent most of the time taking pictures of all the beauty I was surrounded by.

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