Happy Labor Day, Ya'll!

Happy Labor Day from sunny Florida. It's still full-on summer here; in fact, I'm thinking of taking a dip in the pool before grilling out this evening.

To celebrate our hard labor, how about a little online shopping sale? Old Navy is offering 30% off with the code FALLCALLS through midnight tonight. Here are a few things I've got my eye on:

 Women's Short Sleeved Sweater in Goodnight Nora

(Originally $18, on sale for $12.60 with promo)

 Women's Polka-Dot Chambray Shirt

(Originally $24.97, on sale for $17.46 with promo)

 Women's Pop-Color Boyfriend Khaki's in Cranberry Coctail

(Originally $28, on sale for $19.60 with promo)

 Women's Perfect-Cord Pencil Skirt in Jute Green

(Originally $29.94, on sale for $20.95 with promo)

*To be honest, I REALLY wanted this in the mustard yellow color, but it's sold out in all sizes! I might go to my local store to see if they have it. 

Women's Striped Color-Blocked Jersey Dress

(Originally $24.94, on sale for $17.46 with promo)

I'll leave you with a portion of an article titled Making the Leap  by Allison Glock from this month's Southern Living magazine.  It beautifully sums up how those of us below the Mason-Dixon line feel about living in, and returning to, the South. (*Asterisk added by me to the parts that really strike a chord.) Enjoy!

Moving back south is something Southerners do. Lovers of nostalgia, we are all about the rearview mirror, the greener grass in the yard where we grew up. Since leaving home at 17, I have moved back South eight times in 25 years, departing various Northeastern professional arcadias and supposedly superior dining opportunities for the bleached-linen, biscuit-baking, horsefly-biting landscape of my childhood.

This latest go, I made it all the way from NYC to Tennessee. The relocation was met with more raised eyebrows than the entire cast of every Real Housewives reality show. 

"Why?" they all (okay, mostly the New Yorkers) would ask. 

I never had a clear answer. *It's impossible to distill atmosphere, to defend a decision made without concrete reasoning. I suppose I could have said, "Because the South, like anything worth knowing, is complicated. *And complexity married to beauty never bores."

But I did not. Usually, I said, "The economy."

In truth, I had wants. 

*I wanted to sweat when I climbed into my car.

*I wanted a place where playdates did not exist and play did.

I wanted not to be the only woman at the school bake sale who 1)loved coconut and 2) made her own cake.

*I wanted to garden more than three months a year.

I wanted my kinds to know the value of manners.

I wanted to hear birds sing at night and get high on honeysuckle and marvel at the size of magnolias, perched like Easter hats on waxy green heads.

*I wanted to drink in twangs and drawls.

I wanted to hear the frenzied jangle of banjos and fiddles.

I wanted to lay eyes on men wearing overalls and cowboy hats and women with hair teased high as Larry Hagman.

*I wanted to hug people I just met.

I wanted to see bugs big enough for saddles. And insolent enough to stick around when the lights come up. 

*I wanted to drive past kudzu, both terrible and beautiful, draping the landscape like living quilts. 

I wanted to suck wild berries and guzzle RC.

*I wanted to stop agonizing over fried food. 

*I wanted to eat. And eat. And eat. 

Most of all, I wanted to raise my children, girls ages 10 and 11, *in my ancestors' geography, where they could ramble barefoot in the sunshine and not fret about being sideswiped by a speeding taxicab. 

To my dear friends up North, there are many things I treasure and miss about my time there. But parts of this really hit the nail on the head for why Florida is home-sweet-home to me. 

Happy Labor Day, ya'll! 

Take the highway to the great divide

Ok, I've taken the leap. The first step.

I've been toying with the idea of entering the bloggosphere for some time now, and after a recent trip (and some shameless stalking of other blogs I admire), I've decided to just go for it.

Do I find this highly narcissistic? Yes. And that's okay.

So without much ado, here is my first post.

What prompted me to take the plunge, you might ask? It was my recent trip to New York City actually...

This was purely a shopping venture, as well as an opportunity to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the Big Apple. I have to make it into the city at least once whenever I'm visiting family in Connecticut. I took the train in from New Canaan to Grand Central and hopped on the 6 downtown to Calypso Au Marche, the Calypso outlet in SoHo. I always manage to find great deals there. This time I picked up a blush sequined top, a romantic lace cardigan, and a few drapey tanks and tees for Fluidity class (more about Fluidity in posts to come.) Everything was at least half price, with an additional 40% off! If you're ever in NYC, make a point to find this little hole-in-the-wall gem, then follow it up with lunch at Spring Street Natural. I had the Smoked Turkey Breast sandwich with St. Andre cheese, lingonberry preserves and arugula on 7-grain bread, served with Terra vegetable chips and baby greens and an iced herbal tea. The subway runs right underneath the restaurant and I loved feeling it rumble by below every few minutes.

I headed down the block to Madewell where I picked up a few of their classic tees, 2 for $30 (originally $19.50 each). I got this bright green version as well as black, white and navy. These will be great to wear to teach in with some cute pants and a few Stella & Dot  accessories.

Madewell V neck pocket tee

After riding the subway back uptown, I got off at 77th and Lexington and walked a few blocks to the Lilly Pulitzer Madison Avenue store. This is a beautiful shop and always has the best sales. I got a navy polo, a few shift dresses for my nieces (their first Lilly!), and one of the new agendas.

Lilly Pulitzer 2013 Monthly Planner in Azelea Pink May Flowers

After that it was on to one of the main reasons for coming into the city, a trip to the only State-side location of Laduree. Now, I'm not a huge macaron aficionado; in fact, I'd never really had one until this visit (and don't confuse macaroons with macarons; the former is a coconutty, sweet southern confection while the latter is a crisp, chewy cake-like cookie in candy colors.) These lived up to all the hype. They're flown over from Paris daily! There's usually a line, but I lucked out and was waited on within 5 minutes. I splurged and got a box of 15 (to share with my mom and have a few to bring home to Florida). We tried chocolate, pistachio, raspberry, lemon, lemon lime, coffee, rose water, orange blossom, salted caramel and my favorite, blackcurrant and violet. Look at these beauties!

By then I was sweltering (it was in the 90's... in the city!) so I hopped the subway down to 51st Street and walked a few blocks up 5th Avenue to Henri Bendel. They too were having a sale; I picked up a cute wet bikini bag and a jewelry roll in their signature brown and white stripe.

Henri Bendel wet bikini bag

Henri Bendel jewelry roll (similar to mine)

I originally went to try on a pair of Tkees; unfortunately, they didn't fit. The 7 was just too short, and the 8 was too wide across the top. That's okay; it's a great store for wandering. I love the open staircase in the rear that leads up to the perfume area. On the second floor, at the front of the shop are some wonderful etched glass windows that pre-date World War I. It's a very high-class store but isn't stuffy at all, no pushy sales people, very enjoyable. I didn't realize their room sprays were on sale, or I would have picked up a few of those too. I got hooked on Henri Bendel when I burned a Fig candle of theirs years ago; the white pepper is also a favorite.

Henri Bendel room spray on sale for $15!

Henri Bendel candle

Finally I made my way to the Algonquin Hotel for a cocktail in the infamous Lounge. This was the home-base for the Algonquin Round Table, a celebrated group of New York City writers, actors and critics during the 1920's. I'm particularly obsessed with Dorothy Parker and her witty poetry. 

Members of the Algonquin Round Table, or  "The Vicious Circle."

I make it a point to come here every time I'm in the city to sit in one of the overstuffed chairs, people watch, and pretend I'm back in the glamorous 1920's. I had a Grey Goose martini and the Dorothy Parker mini burgers, read a bit of the New York Times, listened in to other people's conversations, and capped off a wonderful day in the city.

Well, that's it. My first post. FUN! I'll try to be more concise as time goes by; I just had a lot to share! Thanks for reading. I'll leave you with this bit of wisdom from the one and only Dorothy Parker:

"I like to have a martini,
Two at the very most.
After three I'm under the table;
After four I'm under my host."
- Dorothy Parker, The Collected Dorothy Parker