Joyeaux Anniversaire

 Shoes: J Crew via DownEast / Tank & Cardi: J Crew final sale / Capris: Gap ($12!) / Purse: Deux Luxe / Necklace: Ruche

So, my computer thought it was prime time to crash. With half my unfinished 30x30 and Europe photos and several others documenting our summer fun.  Lovely, lovely, lovely.

The good news is that I've been comforting myself with Strawberry Champagne Almond cupcakes. The recipe's at the bottom of this post, if you're interested in such delectable distractors.

Up top are shots from after the crash. It was my birthday. Yes, I get to have my birthday during my favorite month which heralds in my favorite season. And this year, I got to spend it in Utah with some of my favorite people. We went to pay our last respects to Scott's dear, sweet grandmother, and had such a wonderful time with his family. 

For my birthday there was sleeping in then picnicking with the family {I just love them!} at Sliding Rock, a bona fide water slide in the mountains. It's glacier water, people, so it was cold, but so worth it. Even the Hound enjoyed herself.  I think.

There was also shopping. The Husband surprised me with a gift card to DownEast, my favorite little shop that sells irregular, damaged, or overstocked items from some of my favorite brands. ONE pair of cornflower blue J Crew shoes, in my exact size, was waiting just for me. For $29.99. With a few scuffs on the sole, but otherwise spanking new. There was also a lovely teal coat with an extra button on the tag to replace the one that was missing. They knew it was my birthday, obviously. 

Then there were turkey & brie sandwiches on delightful cranberry walnut bread and a birthday cupcake named after Cinderella, my fav princess, from Flour Girls & Dough Boys. This, of course, led to a picnic up the Timpanogos canyon in my new shoes, because they're so practical for hiking. There I was graced with my first glimpses of beautiful fall color. 

And what blogger birthday would be complete without thrifting? So, of course, there was also a trip to the DI with my sister-in-law where much fun was had and I found 2 fall-colored midi-skirts for $5 each and a $5 silk blouse to go with them. I never find good silk blouses when I thrift. Never. Then I found a brand new pair of Ann-Taylor dark emerald cords. For $6. Icing on the cake, people. The DI obviously knew it was my birthday, too.

I got to end the night playing cards with family and being sang to by the cutest nieces and nephews ever. They kept reminding me that it was my birthday, all smiley and proud. What a perfect day!

We had to go home the next day, and as we passed through the salt flats, moving into the dessert, Ms. Hound expressed her displeasure at being trapped in the back by our new hound hammock / seat protector, I finally remembered to take a photo of the sign for Deeth Starr Valley, the Husband and Hound stretched their legs as we headed up Doherty mountain, and then we were back home. Another year gone, just like that.

P.S. Photoshop and Carbonite are on my to-do list. And I've already ordered a replacement computer. The blog will go on! Just give me time :)

P.P.S. Thank you, thank you, thank you to my dear husband and Utah family for such a marvelous birthday!

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Joyeaux Anniversaire = Happy Birthday

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Color Me Crazy

Coral Capris: Gap ($8!) / Top: B Moss / Shoes: Asos / Belt, Necklace: J Crew final sale / Earrings, Bracelet: Gabes (Monet, Kissaka)

My brain is far too frazzed to create a proper post. {Remember? I'm teaching 4 different courses this year. All of which I've never before taught. Yes, that's 4 preps for 4 new courses. And because class sizes are so lovely and large, I have over 180 students. There are 44 freshmen in just my first period. I must be mental.}

Thus, you get a list:

1. Gap is having an amazing sale right now. Extra 40% off sale items = $8 colored capris.

2.  Refer to the introduction { yes, teaching is always on my brain these days...if my conclusion / final paragraphs summarizes this list, please disregard it...} for one reason I've still yet to finish my Europe and 30x30 posts, which I began in June.

3. A second reason is this:  I found I've already used over half my allotted free space for my blog because my photos are evidently gi-flipping-normous. Half, and I've only been blogging since March. April, really. When I tried to make them smaller with Picnik, they got all weird. Not sure why. I don't know anything about photos, actually.

4. I've ordered Photoshop with my fab-dab-abulous teacher discount! Now I just have to find time to learn to use it...any recommendations for a fab reference guide?

5 Till I do so, I'm a bit afraid to continue posting. Will I have to go back and re-do all the photos in prior posts in smaller sizes? Probably. Do I have time for that? No, certainly not right now. All this is despite the fact that I've got half a 30x30 to finish and an entire summer to blog... I guess for now I'll just learn to cut the photo size, tweak it a bit, and start posting again with that. Once my school schedule slows down, that is. Till then, we'll continue with this glacial snail of a posting pace and it's very possible I'll still be posting summer outfits when it begins to snow.  Thrilling.

6. Since my posts have few and far between, I figured I'd better go all out for this one. So I combined coral, color blocking, and colored pants into one outfit. Three trends with one outfit. Then I threw in an apple tree for good measure. I'm a teacher, yo. And apples are in right now.  Wham. BAM. 

Fin.*

P.S. Do you remember The Odyssey? That wretched, confusing tale we all had to read back in the day? Check out here what brilliant things students are doing with it today. Ah, thank heavens for silver linings :)

P.P.S. I've been consigning at my fav little local shop. And it's super fun. Last week, I got an uber cute little plaid wool blazer from Ralph Lauren, two wool jumpers from Ann Taylor, and a darling Banana Republic dress, all for only $12 after my credit and the current sale were processed. Can't wait to show you!

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*Fin = End { The Frenchies don't add the "The."}

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Cuccaro Club: 30x30 Outfit 13

  Dress: Victoria's Secret; Button-up: Consigned at Periwinkle (Calvin Klein) / Belt: Ruche / Shoes: Privo / Earrings: Thrifted / Necklace: Piperlime (Hive & Honey)

We left Lake Como to sunny rays beaming through dark clouds. I split two apples between a few  horses and a skittish foal along the road while the Husband stopped for the shot below...

...then we headed to Italy's Cinque Terre, five charming, cliff-hugging villages along the Med coast just north of Tuscany.

Driving in Cinque Terre is near impossible, so we planned to take the train from the nearby Levanto. We found a great deal on a room at the Cuccaro Club in Suvaro, about 20 miles from Levanto, so we headed there to drop off our luggage and settle in. The drive from Levanto ended up taking 40 minutes, going straight up the mountains in the middle of nowhere. We were pretty wary by the time we got there, but boy were we rewarded. This place was straight out of a 1940s-50s Hollywood film. A perfect blend of African safari and British elegance, complete with a parrot in the lobby, bright colors, a meandering black bear of a sweet dog, and plenty of vintage and safari décor.

Antiques decorate the many halls and verandas and several lovely dining areas spread throughout various levels.

One dining hall in particular, was even decorated with flowered trellises and carousel horses. Isn't it darling?

This dining hall runs along the glass wall of a heated indoor pool complete with water polo nets and old loudspeakers. A jacuzzi room is connected in the back, and to the right is the entrance to the outdoor terrace and pool:



This resort is a virtual maze of sundry treasures. We discovered exercise rooms, hallways with old couches and sewing tables, and partitioned rooms filled with old gaming machines, books, and artwork.

We scored a lovely little room with a balcony {photo up top} where we quickly changed to our swim/hiking gear before heading to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre merits it's own post, coming next. But after a long day of hiking and exploring the Italian Riviera, it sure was nice to return to such a darling little room...

...and all those amenities. First, we hit up the jacuzzi, then the heated pool, then the outdoor pool, and finally the jacuzzi again to warm up. We had them all to ourselves. That's the advantage of staying in the middle of nowhere on a weekday. And I'd say they were quite romantically lit just perfectly for us...

On our way back to our room, we passed a few Italians were playing Wii on a large screen in a room with pinball machines, pool tables, and a Foosball table. In the lobby, locals were chatting in the lobby, watching the equivalent of National Geographic as the parrot molted on his perch. Fancy guests dined as the scent of lemon tarts wafted down the halls. Heavenly, I tell you. Just heavenly.

The next morning we were delighted with a divine breakfast spread of homemade tarts and cakes and breads and jams and local cheeses with delicious juices like apricot and strawberry.

Even more spectacular, however, was that it was included in the room price. Typically, breakfast is extra in Europe.

Somehow we got all this for 57 euro. Thank you, Booking.com. We love you. :)

P.S. To top it all off, the staff was the friendliest we've had since the Normandy bed and breakfast. Very eager to please and friendly. Seriously people, if you ever go to this area, stay here.

I'm no longer bothering to call these "interludes"...

Just a bitty post to do a bit of groveling and let you know I'm still here. So very sorry for the hiatus. My class reunion back East was fabulous. It was such fun to see my old friends! There's a little peeksie above of the absolutely brilliant Edelweiss dress I won and wore. I felt oh so classy and elegant in my silk sheath. Like I should've worn little gloves with pearl buttons. Europe didn't leave the Husband with enough vacay to come with me, so we'll do this dress justice with some nicer shots soon. Anyhow, the very day I returned home I began work. Teachers are waaaay busy at the beginning of the school year. Especially charter school teachers. Who are teaching a new subject for the first time. And teaching four different courses (eek!) So I'm afraid my posts will be a bit sporadic for a while. At least till I get settled into my new job. But I will finish posting this Europe trip & 30x30 eventually!

Villas On the Lake: Outfit 12

Button-up, Pants, Belt: J Crew final sale / Shoes: Privo / Necklace, Earrings: AE /Purse: Nordstrom (bryna nicole)

This was our last full day at Lake Como, and it was supposed to be blustery and rainy . So I only wore the outfit above for dinner, and for the rest of the day I wore the lone hiking outfit I packed with my Keens.

We first went to the Orrido di Bellano, a gorge carved into the mountain where glacier water runs out of the Alps in spectacular falls then flows into the lake. While hiking up the ravine we crossed some interesting décor...

Apparently the gorge is as old. Prehistoric old. I suppose it did look a bit like Jurassic Park. The Husband was quite perturbed at those dinosaurs. He said they ruined perfectly good photos. We then continued deeper into the ravine on wooden platforms built into the rock that allow you to explore the gorge.

While driving to the gorge, the Husband noted a place from which he could dive into the lake {The man's obsessed. Obsessed.} There's an old road with tunnels along the shore that's used for hiking and biking. So we parked along the roadside and hiked down so he could dive in a few times, after which he was a happy little camper. Meanwhile, I gawked at the glimpses I caught of a stone house built into the hillside.

We next got lunch then headed to the Villa del Balbianello in Lenno. It was built in the late 1700s for a Franciscan Cardinal and is one of the most luxurious villas on the lake, with extensive terraced gardens. It's located at the tip of a peninsula and is also famous for having appeared in Star Wars Episode II, Ocean's Twelve, and Casino Royale. Today you can rent it for a wedding. If thousands and thousands of dollars is pocket change for you, of course. 

After hiking up the poorly marked trail and massive hill to the gate, however, we found it was closed for the day. Boo. So we appeased our appetites for luxury by watching this and this video instead, then went to the Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo. And, to spite me for wearing my hiking clothes all day long, the sun decided to come out just as we were graced with picture perfect backgrounds like this stairway to the Villa Carlotta, which, I just realized, I never photographed in entirety. It's massive....

The gardens were lovely and expansive. There were species from all over the world, from cacti to palms and lemon groves and everything in between, but the hydrangeas were my favorite. That's Bellagio across the lake from the hydrangea garden. We went there a few days earlier, remember?

The Villa really is spectacular, and the museum inside is just as interesting. It was built in the mid 1700s for a Milanese marquis then eventually purchased by the Princess Marianna of Prussia as a wedding present to her daughter, Carlotta, after whom the villa is named. The upstairs rooms are richly decorated and furnished, and downstairs is a gallery featuring several marble sculptures, including the famous Cupid and Psyche copy by Canova's pupil. Photographs indoors were prohibited, unfortunately.

After leaving the Villa, I explored Tremezzo a bit while the Husband searched for an ATM. There was a super fancy hotel facing the lake, as well as beautiful views of the Alps...

Once back in Domaso, I showered and changed for one last dinner at our favorite restaurant. This time we got a pizza with white cheese and cream and one with buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. We went for a final stroll by the lake and got a last gelato {raspberry and chocolate..YUM!} before heading back to the apartment to play Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride for one last fun-filled night with our friends.