It’s the last week of April, so here is what I am loving April 2016.
1. Hamilton celebrating Prince.
Two weeks later and I am still beyond obsessed. And now THIS. I mean, come on! Lin Manuel is a genius and my future friend (#goal)
This past weekend, I laced up my running shoes and ran my first half marathon in two years. Yes, I have run a lot of marathons since 2014, but a half marathon is totally different….and it hasn’t helped that I’ve been nursing an injury for the last 6 months (GROAN). But I did it. And in a fast time for me! And it was all part of a great event celebrating women. Enjoy the pics!
Post race, the little girl deserves the medal.
This is all too familiar, but with a heavy heart, I mourn the loss of my good childhood friend, Abby. Abby sadly passed away on Sunday evening (April 17th) after a fight with cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma. Not hereditary, environmental, or anything else. Just effing bad luck.
Abby.
It seems like 2016 just started; and yet, school is about to end. I can’t believe I only have 6 weeks to squeeze in everything I want to do in Spring in NYC. Better start…..yesterday! Here is my list. (For last year’s list, go here).
1. Go see Hamilton (again).
Yowsers, I can’t stop raving about it.
Yup, you read it correctly, say WHAAATTTT? Black Bean Flourless Brownies? Black beans in a brownie????? With or without rice? Just joking (about the rice), and yessers, I am serious about the black beans in the brownies. I was intrigued by the recipe from A Clean Bake, so I made the recipe, found myself interested in how weird they were, and then realized I had eaten more than my share #oops. So here is the recipe: (Note, when I made it, I must have been overly tired because I literally doubled the amount of black beans #gassy and forgot baking powder and salt…. I think that is what happens when I try to rush/bake between kid activities and my tutoring gig. Mind you, even though I forgot all that and put way too many beans in, everything was delicious!)
I have been a big fan of Emily Weiss and Into The Gloss since the blog was founded in 2010. That said, when she created her own skincare / makeup line, I was reluctant to buy into the fad. Finally, two weeks ago, I caved into the Millenium skin care line, with its pretty pale pink packaging and snarky descriptions….and I couldn’t be happier that I did. I now understand the hype and popularity — it is that good. The brand, as described perfectly by Weiss herself is ” simple and effective but not too precious.”
Lip stain / tint / perfection.
Last week, I had a hard time communicating with my 6 year old son about good behavior and his treatment towards me and friends, post-school. During school, Cruz is an angel (so I’m told); incredibly well behaved, sweet, loving, empathetic, and caring. But the moment I pick him up – whether it is due to exhaustion, the pressures of school, or the fact that he doesn’t eat much lunch – he often crashes and throws a fit with me. Not only is it trying for me, but I find it difficult to communicate with him about how he should act. So, last week in NYC when the rain was out of control, I found myself seeking solace in a bookstore, searching for new books. And there it was, “How to Be; Six Simple Rules for Being The Best Kid You Can Be”
Bright, red, flashy. HELLO book of all books.
My obsession with Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Matrix Cookbook continues. I can’t speak highly enough about it and EVERYONE must get it for their kitchen STAT. It makes meal-planning easy, and spices up our family dinner repertoire. My most recent find (there seems to be a new one every week!) is the thai cabbage slaw — DELISH what what!!!
I love bedding — Natori bedding and Roberta Roller Rabbit are my two favorites, and recently I came across Hill House Home and fell instantly in love. Hill House Home has sheets, robes, duvets, and pillowcases. The pillowcases, which you can monogram, are the items that won me over.
I love the font.
After our wonderful vacation in Mexico with my parents, we headed to Puerto Rico with the Natori Seniors…YUP #hardlife and YUP #travelwithparents. We had a luxurious, lavish, relaxing, and fun 5 days (just like last year. Same vacation, different year). Take a look at the pictures….wish I was back there NOW! NYC is flipping cold and un-Spring like.
Bucerias, Mexico to Puerto Rico isn’t exactly a direct flight. We had 4 hour layover in Dallas, so we killed time (at the kids’ request) by taking the airport monorail in circles for 45 minutes. #KillingTime
Like last year, we spent the first portion of Spring Break in Bucerias, Mexico at my uncle’s beach house. My mother, born and raised in Mexico City, still has two brothers that live in Mexico. And fortunately for us, one of them has a beautiful beach house in Bucerias, a sleepy-non-tourist town north of Puerto Vallarta, on the west coast of Mexico. Here are the highlights from our ten day vacation with Nana and Tata!
Nothing better than a mother-daughter-matching outfit… a HUNGARIAN EMBROIDERED mother-daughter-matching outfit!
From my instagram (@ynatori), rocking my Hungarian shirt in Mexico last week. We were vacationing with my parents in Bucerias. (Truth be told, I thought it was a Mexican shirt and therefore, very #meta of me to be a 1/2 Mexican wearing a Mexican shirt in Mexico. ALAS, le sigh, reality is that I was 1/2 Mexican in Mexico rocking a Hungarian shirt….doesn’t ring the same type of bell… but I still like the shirts.).
Last week when I was in Mexico (actually we left this morning at 4 am, #triste), I discovered Tajin and instantly became hooked. It tasted so good; that I had to put it on anything and everything. Truth be told, I was a little scared of looking at the ingredients because it was so addictive and good that I was convinced it had MSG. Reluctantly, I checked, and NO MSG, and instead, all natural ingredients (big sigh of relief).
Tajin. Vive la Mexico.
I am a devout nut-butter eater and like devouring nut butters in ANY form. So when I came across this Salted Almond Butter Freezer Fudge recipe, I instantly ran to the kitchen to make it. I love love them, and I so shared them with a fellow friend / parent from Cruzzie’s school. Later that day, I received three text messages from three other moms, requesting the recipe (friend #1 shared with friends #2-4). They are loved by all! Enjoy!
There is only one person I really trust to give me make up advice, and that is Oscar Caballero. I first met him 4 years ago at Barney’s in the makeup department where he works for Natura Bisse. He also works independently as a make-up artist. From day one, there was just an instant feeling of comfort and trust, and I went to him for advice on skincare and makeup. Since then, he has done my makeup countless times, as well as my mother-in-law’s. He is also a friend. Enjoy this interview… ladies… here are some great tips from an expert!
Oscar! Applying makeup to Miss Honduras.
My mom, the know-it-all-present-giver, recently gifted me a Turkish Fouta Towel. It has so many uses… just pack it in your bag for any adventure. It is perfect as a beach blanket, sarong, bath towel, tablecloth, and more!
Fouta towel. I like everything about it, including it’s name.
Recently, the Upper East Side has become more hip with good restaurants and stores (not that it makes the UES hip or cool… but it’s moving in the right direction….). My favorite addition is Hu Kitchen. Back in the day, I would take the subway downtown to Union Square, just to go to Hu Kitchen and get my hands on some cashew cream mash (think frozen yogurt, but not). Now that there is a location close-by, I go there weekly to get my fix of granola, crack bars, raw brownies, and drinks. As a granola snob, I can safely attest that their granola is TO DIE FOR. INCREDIBLE. And made with healthy, pure and raw ingredients!
Paleo Granola! Say what??? SOLD SOLD SOLD.
As a loyal fan of the Natori Feathers Bra, I rarely deviate. The Feathers bra fits perfectly, feels great, and looks good — so there has never been a need to get anything else! But recently, I decided to try on the Josie Natori Spectrum Day bra — a wireless soft unlined bra — that has been receiving rave reviews. Love! So if anyone ever wants a change from Feathers (because we all know that that is the #1 bra currently out)…I highly recommend this bra!
Readers know that for his 40th Birthday party, Ken put on a concert at Red Rooster with his guitar teacher on bass and a bunch of other musicians that he cobbled together through friends, Facebook, and random interactions. Heather Cole was the fiddler, and she was great- Ken checked her out when she was busking in Grand Central. I love listening to street musicians, but I’ve always wondered what the experience is like on the other side. The perfect opportunity for a Josie Girl interview!
Meet Heather Cole! Pictures from Ken’s 40th.
My mother is one of those people that always knows the bohemian cool, beautifully crafted, hip food products, way before anyone else. I am not saying she is a New Yorker fashionista (she is not), but she is very much in the know with all things West Coast cool and East Coast significant. When she visited us two weeks ago for Ken’s 40th birthday party, she gifted me a cookbook (she has more than 300 cookbooks at home — no joke) which is sooooooooo cool that I can’t stop reading it! Mark Bittman was a New York Times food columnist who created a book with a matrix of possibilities. It is unbelievable — everyone must have it for their kitchen! It also makes a perfect hostess gift for a friend. Take a look!
Kitchen matrix. How clever, imaginative, and smart.
Beauty Buys! I love beauty products…there is something about the small packaging, the smells, and most importantly the way it makes me look and feel. One simple product can change everything! So here are the top 5 beauty products I am currently loving!
I can’t believe how quickly the year has flown by. I am not sure if it is age, but time moves more quickly than 60 minutes per hour….and so here we are in MARCH and Spring Break is right around the corner (#GodBless). Here is a simple and easy list of what I am currently loving.
1. Jonas Blue’s Remix of Fast Car
My kids are so sick of me listening to this song because I play it for them at least two dozen times a day. NOT KIDDING. I also have randomly sent out the link to friends telling them to listen to it. I can’t get enough of the beat, the song, the nostalgia of Tracy Chapman.
Of the 2 million views, I think I have listened to it over 500,000 times. NO JOKE. Last week, I ran 6 miles with this song on repeat. (#OCD)
After our big celebration this past Saturday night, we went out to cure our hangover / adrenaline / socialization with a big brunch. My brother, Giora, who lives in Seattle and is always up to speed with pop culture and what is cool (way more than any other New Yorker I know) told me about a restaurant that he wanted to go to — Llama Inn, a new Peruvian restaurant in Williamsburg that has a lot of buzz about it.
My husband Ken is one of the most caring, down-to-earth, and fun people I know, on top of being extremely brave, courageous, and committed. For his 40th birthday, he threw a concert (similar to his 38th year birthday recital) but instead of doing it solo, he cobbled together a full band (frequent readers know he started taking guitar lessons 3.5 years ago when he won an O.A.R. Sound Check at a silent auction). So, with a lot of work, practice, and dedication, he had a fabulous 40th birthday party last weekend. I am so proud of him for putting himself out there and taking risks. Here are the photos (most of them are taken by Cynthia Delconte, our wedding photographer!) Enjoy!
I love twofers (when there are multiple uses for an item); a reversible jacket, a double sided pen, tinted glasses (actually I don’t like that), Taco Tuesday / Cinco de Mayo falling on the same day, and the best, a SLEEPSHIRT THAT IS ALSO A BATHING SUIT COVER-UP. Win win win!
Bathing suit cover-up!
