Dealing with smallness of person

The manufacturers of premium denim jeans get a lot of things right.  They can provide you with supreme comfort, flatten a stomach, lengthen the legs, and tighten and lift a bottom.  There is one thing they are starting to get consistently wrong: length.  Unlike men's pants, which come in actual sizes in inch increments, women's pants come in one length, or if you are very lucky: three lengths (petite, regular and tall).  It may be my imagination, but lately they all seem to be making them insanely long regardless of size.  I suppose this is great if you are very tall, since it's impossible to add fabric, but if you enjoy smallness of person, like me, it means either spending an additional small fortune to have them altered, or learn to do it yourself.  My local dry cleaner/tailor charges $24 to hem a pair of pants.  This adds insult to injury if you've just spent $200 on a pair of Citizens of Humanity/J Brand/Seven/Joe's/AG jeans.  The injury is worsened when they get it wrong, which has happened to me one too many times and so I learned to do it myself.  In fact over the years, I've developed my own strange method of getting them exactly the way I want them without fail.  Here's how you do it:

Start with a pair of fabulous fitting jeans.  In my case, these are Citizens of Humanity Dita Petite Bootcut.  Yes, these are "petite" and they are still four inches too long...sigh...  Let me just state right here for the record, that I am not built like an Oompa Loompa.  I am 5' 2" and weigh 110lbs.  I am pretty much the definition of petite, so I'm not really sure who these are made for.  Even with insanely high heels, they would still be too long, but I digress.  Put on a pair of shoes with a heel that is what you will wear most often with them and turn up the cuff so that they break where you want them.  Pin on each side, matching the seams so you know the cuff is straight.  Walk around and make sure that it's comfortable--not too short and that you aren't stepping on the back.  Take them off.

 Measure the fold so you know how far up you will want the hem.  I love my sewing ruler, because it has a slide so I can mark the exact length.

 Iron where you have them folded so you know EXACTLY where the hem should be and fold the jeans inside out.

Fold them back exactly on the crease where you ironed them.  If you want to double check, use the ruler where you have it marked.  If you notice in the previous photos that the hem is not perfectly straight, you aren't wrong.  I am convinced that they drink on the assembly line.  This is the only explanation for why I can try on three pairs of the same size and they all fit differently.  Nothing in life is perfect, which is why I do the "cuff and iron in the hem" method".  It's really hard to screw it up.  Once you have the hem "set" with the iron, cut off the excess material.  How much you cut off depends on how high or low you want the fold of the hem.  I honestly don't think it matters that much.  NO ONE is going to be scoping around your ankles with a magnifying glass and only you know what the original hem looked like.  Decide how long you want the hem to be and then roughly double that length.  I have decided I want a little longer than a half inch, so I am cutting off at 1" and a 1/4.  Cut off the excess as straight as possible.  If you need to, use a pencil and ruler.  I always eyeball it because I like to live on the edge.

 Fold over the edge so that the hem is the desired size.  Use the ruler to be sure it is even all around and iron, making sure that the seams on the sides are as flat and neat as possible.  If they aren't, you will have a giant wad of fabric and your sewing machine needle may break.

 Pin all the way around and check to make sure that both sides are even.

Sew the seam starting with the INSIDE of the legs so that your back tacking will be less noticeable.  If your denim has some lycra, it will stretch while you are sewing.  Make sure you keep some tension on the leg while you sew so that it feeds smoothly.  If they are bootcut jeans, this is a bonus since the tension will retain some of the "boot" feature that you've cut off by lopping off four inches.  If you are hemming A LOT off the bottom, they may end up looking like straight leg jeans after you cut the bottoms, which sort of defeats the purpose.  This is also why it's a good idea to start with jeans that have the best fit you can find, so that the whiskering, fading, knee break, etc will be in the best possible location.  It really does matter.

 Now you have two perfectly hemmed legs...with the "mom hemmed these for me" look.  Not good.  Time to get out the pumice stone, nail file or piece of sandpaper and go to town.

 Use the original hem that you've cut off as a guide to know when to stop.  Distressed stone washed bottoms are great.  Gaping holes are not.  Know when to say when.

Try on for size and admire your handi-work.  You just saved $24 and have custom-fit jeans!

Have a great weekend everyone!

-ESM

London Calling

Upon returning from our little jaunt to Charleston, LAM and I were on a had a fabulous vacation high and didn't want to become depressed by having nothing left to look forward to...sooo, we immediately started planning our next trip.  After a string of tropical vacations that translated into some very expensive tans and one pretty evil sunburn, we decided that we would start taking a different approach to travel.  Something abroad would be the ticket, but as LAM has never ventured across the pond before, someplace that spoke English would be the best way to get his feet wet.  London was calling.

I immediately started doing what I always do in these situations...pinning things like crazy on Pinterest.  Possible hotels:

The Lime Tree Hotel is a strong contender...I love the boxwood British orderliness of it, plus it is family owned and operated, breakfast is included and it's in an adorable Belgravia neighborhood.  I've never actually been, but I have walked up and down the streets and looked at all the shops--thank you Google maps!

Through my other planning efforts, I started making a list of cannot miss shops that must be visited.  HIGH on the list is Smythson of Bond Street:

As Holly Golightly remarked of Tiffany's, in response to getting "the mean reds", "Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's.  Calms me down right away.  The quietness and proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there."

This is precisely the feeling I have about Smythson--quality, grace, precision and order all in one scrummy package:

These beautiful boxes give a mere glimpse of the treasures that most certainly lie within.  I can feel my blood pressure drop just looking at them...

As if that weren't enough of an endorsement, they have the added PR of SamCam, or Samantha Cameron, wife to British Prime Minister David Cameron.

On my current lust list:

The luggage tag that discreetly announces your home address on one side and your destination address on the other.  Should Virgin Atlantic lose my luggage, they will hopefully know that the owner of this bag means business.

The passport cover with boarding pass pocket, embossed with my initials, natch.  This will keep me sane as I gladly whip out my little blue Smythson when asked to produce said documents for the umpteenth time.

Last, but not least is the folding ipad case.  Unfortunately, this costs more than the ipad, but it will probably last longer.  Maybe while I'm browsing in the store, which I hear is quite friendly and unpretentious, I will try to convince myself that the price tag is in USD and not choke as I hand over the Visa.  Hey, a girl can dream, right?

-ESM

Photos courtesy of the respective company websites and Town and Country magazine.

The Wonder of it all

I don't even remember when the New York based, pseudo preppy/trendy boutique C Wonder popped up on my radar, but I was a little bit suspect right from the very beginning.  There was something oddly familiar and a smidge cheap looking about their flashy gold-plated "C" logo that had a certain Tory Burch air to it, however slightly lacking in quality.  First one blog, then another mentioned their fashion forward preppy style as well as their affordable pricing and lack of pretention.  I had to admit, their boutiques were cute and lamented the fact that there wasn't one close by that I could visit.

As far as clothing went, it seemed as though they tossed Tory Burch, Kate Spade and J Crew into a blender and then skimmed off some of the quality.  The home decor items, on the other hand, appeared fresh, fun, cute and very reasonably priced.  I took the plunge on one tortoise shell nut bowl that was an absolute steal:

I have to say that I wasn't disappointed, either with the quality (they are hand blown) or the customer service.  My shipment was sent immediately and very well packaged.  Onto my pending Pinterest wishlist I added:

The tortoise shell belt buckle and...

Reversible belt.  Forgive me, but doesn't this have the whiff of a certain product made by a certain high end leather goods company that uses an "H" on their buckle?  Yes, it does and as much as I love the orange horse, this is MUCH more reasonably priced AND I get to use my own initial.

Fast forward to this morning while watching the news, I was half paying attention when I heard the name Tory Burch.  I immediately gave Good Morning America my full attention while they explained that C Wonder is owned by Tory Burch's ex husband Christopher...hence the "C".  Suddenly, it all made sense!  The newscaster went on to explain that Tory was suing her ex for stealing trade secrets and designs and that he was suing her for breach of contract.  Really?  Yes, some of the stuff is similar to hers and here is an example:

This is Tory's Continental wallet. 

And this is C Wonder's Continental wallet.  Yup, they are almost identical.  This would be noteworthy if they weren't also identical to every other Continental wallet on the market including the Kate Spade example that lives in my bag and the one I saw in J Crew the other day.  Tory Burch is big in the Main Line area of Philadelphia.  Her Reva flats, tunics and handbags surround me on a daily basis and I am told there is a raging debate over whether or not she is truly "preppy".  Personally, I can't decide.  I know there are some items that I truly like, such as this Tiffany hued iPad case:

And others that are so flashy and trendy, I can't figure out what the heck she was thinking when she approved the design.  The bottom line is, yes, his products are very similar to hers, but they are very similar to other brands as well.  Case in point, the navy blazer.  This is C Wonder's blazer:

And this is J Crew's:

They are virtually identical.  They are exactly the same price.

I bought a navy J Crew Schoolboy blazer this year and I really love it.  The quality is excellent for the price point--fully lined and nicely finished with a great petite fit and the fabric is very soft.  I remarked to LAM that I was concerned that J Crew's quality had been going down a bit, but this item reassured me that they are making the effort.  Perhaps it's competition from the C Wonders of the world or possibly they are motivated by some other factor.  No matter--the end result is a nice product and I can't complain about that.

Stay prep!
-ESM

All photos are courtesy of their respective retaliers.

The Ties That Bind

Architectural Digest is running a special online article this month to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the iconic 80's tv show Family Ties.  Yes, you read that correctly...THIRTY YEARS.  The focus of the article was not so much what the show meant to everyone who watched it way-back-when (and it meant A LOT and EVERYONE watched it), but rather they discussed the sets and various props that were used to be the very fabric of the Keaton family's life.  I found this fascinating, not only because I loved the show, but also because I was always enthralled with the sets.  I wanted to be a member of the Keaton family.  I wanted to live in that big, drafty Victorian house that I imagined in a cozy neighborhood filled with other houses that looked just like it.  Each one had a Volvo station wagon in the driveway, just like the one that Elyse and Steven drove.  Looking back on these photos as an adult, I am struck by a couple of things, the first of which is that this house would have been insanely expensive to heat and insure.  Elyse must have been one heck of an architect, because Steven's job as a public television station manager could not have possibly floated this family of five in this big house.  The other is how much stuff there is in this house.  There is art covering every square inch of wall space and knick knacks on every surface--most of them appear to be antiques or valuable collectibles, oriental carpets, vases, lamps, etc.  Also, WHAT is the deal with the table and chairs right in front of the entry?  Who does that?

Check out how YOUNG Tom Hanks looks in this shot.  As I recall, he was Elyse's alcohol troubled younger brother who hits a low point later in the episode when he swigs a bottle of vanilla extract in the kitchen because it's the only booze he can find in the house.  Notice Jennifer's "Mork From Ork" suspenders.

Ah, the kitchen.  Didn't everyone have a commercial grade Viking range in their kitchen?  I have no idea why, but the "Kiss the Cook" sign on the island absolutely epitomizes the show for me.  In my imagination, it was Steven who decided this needed to be here.  So sensitive and caring...  Also, the wallpaper is so perfect for this house.  You feel like you're being hugged when you're in this room.  Again, I am overwhelmed by the sheer volume of objects in the kitchen; the plants, spices and all of the magnets on the fridge--remember when magnets used to stick to the refrigerator?

Ooh, tile countertops--before granite took the world by storm.  My aunt and uncle used to have a kitchen that looked very similar to this: tile counters, country wooden cabinets with ceramic drawer pulls and leaded glass windows in the upper cabinets.  I will admit that the tile was never really a good idea since keeping it clean was a full time job, but when they remodeled, it broke my heart.

And then, there was Alex P. Keaton.  Oh, there were other characters and notable they were, but none more than Alex, around whom the entire show revolved.  Alex was an old-school Republican, back when that stood more for fiscal conservatism rather than any other extreme affiliation.  The photo of William F. Buckley Jr. over his bed pretty much says it all, as well as the various references to his "Nixon rattle" that he played with as a baby and the "Little Republicans Pop Up Book" that he later reads to Andrew as a bed time story.  Elyse and Steven often stood back in befuddlement regarding their son because they could not fathom how they could possibly have created such an individual.  In one episode, Skippy the kid next door finds out that he was adopted.  He asks Alex how he would feel if he found out that HE was adopted.  Alex's response: "It would explain a lot."

I hope you enjoyed reminiscing with me.  All photos are courtesy of NBC via Architectural Digest.

-ESM

A Cure for Cold Hands

I have tiny small person hands and they are almost always cold.  Enter one new Zippy Whip with a great new feature: the heated steering wheel.

This is the part where I should be telling you all about how great it is and how indispensable it has become (like the heated seats), but because of the placement of the button--you can see it right there on the steering column, I have never used it.  That would be because I can't see it and like anything else, out of sight usually means out of mind.

Also, while this is a great idea when you're driving the car, it is useless when you are the passenger (a state I try to avoid at all costs) or when you are not actually IN the car.  To compound the problem, when I AM in the car and in the driver's seat, my ability to manipulate the wheel, guages and shift lever is of utmost importance. 

When I drive on the track, this is what I wear.  Nomex gloves with deerskin palms in bright red.  The reason for the red is so that my hands are easier for my students and other drivers to see.  They fit perfectly and allow me to grip the wheel with perfect precision.  I adore them.  Sadly, wearing them in my regular life is not an option since they present a fashion dilemma of the highest order and so a daily driving alternative must be found.  Enter a second first world problem.  My iPhone.  You cannot operate an iPhone with gloved hands unless you can find a Borg-like pair with the metal thingees on the fingers.  Compound that with my need for fit and grippiness and well, good luck.

Here it is: the answer to the problem.  The North Face eTip glove.  They come in a ludicrous range of sizes (my perfect fit was an XXS), have rubber grippies on the fingers and palms and the smartphone enabling metal tips.  The fact that they make me feel like the bionic woman while wearing them is a bonus.

Stay warm...
-ESM

The Great Meltdown

I failed to mention at the end of my last post that I seriously injured myself while making the storm closure chocolate chip pumpkin bread.  My stand mixer lives in a lower cabinet all by itself and after I cleaned things up and went to put the mixer away, I leaned over and snap! something in my back said oh-no-you-didn't and it was all over.  I spent most of the day yesterday trying to avoid sitting down or moving my left leg in general.  Compounded by the lingering lack of electricity at the office, my stress level reached a peak.  Since not moving my left leg made it impossible to operate a clutch, LAM ferried us to the office so we could check things out in the dark, while I contorted myself sideways in the passenger seat with the seat heater on high.  It actually helped.  Until I got nauseous.  I am a terrible passenger.  When I'm riding with students on the track, this does not happen because I am completely focused on what is coming up next and giving them instruction and coaching before it happens.  When I am riding in the car with LAM, I am looking around sideways, behind and to the left.  And then I get sick.  While I was pondering my miserable situation, I suddenly developed a craving for...grilled cheese.  My love for grilled cheese is not a secret.  There was once a time in my life when I would eat little else.  Enter one new fast(ish) food chain that opened in our area: Melt Down.

I had been meaning to try this place for some time now.  Think of it as comfort food for foodies.

The menu didn't disappoint and neither did the soda fountain.  I had to stand there and ponder the concept of grilled cheese as though it were a food that was completely new to me.  Soda was provided exclusively by the New Hope Premium Soda Company.  They don't use high fructose corn syrup, phosphoric acid or caffeine.  I'm not exactly behind the no-caffeine thing, but everything else they can leave out.  Not having my teeth eroded by acid or calcium leached out of my bones is win-win.

The first item to arrive at our table was LAM's tomato soup.  That's a creme fraiche smiley that you're looking at.  It's impossible to be in a bad mood or feel sad while looking at this.  Even less so when you're eating it.

Next up was my "grilled cheese", although, I'm not entirely sure I'm comfortable with calling it grilled cheese, since it was so much more.  Brie and pears on french bread with some sort of garlic and chive (and other stuff) dipping sauce with parmesan potato chips and a spicy pickle.  Honestly, the evening couldn't have ended any better.  I even forgot all about my back.

Until next time...
-ESM

Never make pumpkin bread during a storm

Where once life was bright and sunny and we were enjoying fall, along came a storm to ruin the fun.  The pumpkins were painted, decorations hung, little goodie bags packed for trick or treaters.  Then the wind started to blow.  Doom and gloom spouted from the tv as the newscasters predicted mass power outages, downed trees and other assorted inevitable mishaps.  Somewhere around 9:00, LAM lamented not having any pumpkin pie.  This may seem to be something of a non-sequitor, but not if you know LAM.  He does need a reason to need pie.  He started obsessing.  "Wouldn't it be so great if we had pie?", he said.  We couldn't snack on it with tea in front of the fire and if the power goes out, we could have it for breakfast if the milk is spoiled.  This got me thinking.  Hmm, I thought, I seem to remember that there is a can of pumpkin in the pantry.  While I was without the resources for making pie, I DID have a bag of chocolate chips and some eggs and other sundry items that are required for making chocolate chip pumpkin bread.  Maybe, just MAYBE, I'll have enough time to eek out a loaf of bread.  I ran to the kitchen and literally threw ingredients at my mixer, then tossed the loaf pan into the oven...fast forward ten minutes...and (poof) no power.

Darksville.  Thank goodness for the fireplace, because with the electricity, went the heat and it started to get chilly very quickly.

Zoe, in particular, did not appreciate the wind howling, trees falling and branches slamming into the house.  If she is voluntarily cuddling, you know it's pretty bad.  Mostly, she was annoyed with Mummy for putting pumpkin bread into the oven and jinxing all of us.

We survived the fitful night and woke up to a wet and dreary morning, made better only by the fact that I had an excuse to wear my wellies to the office.  We'll call this look "cosy storm chic".  While still without power at the house (I love how my iphone makes everything look almost normal), we prepared to go to the office until we got a call from an employee saying not to bother, since there was no power there either.  Great.  While the "snow day" endorphins were coursing through my sleep deprived brain, it occurred to me that this is not nearly as fun as it would have been had I had the day off from school as a kid, but that as an adult, I could only think of things I wasn't able to get done without electricity.  Vacuum? Nope.  Make items for the etsy store?  No sewing machine.  Cook?  Nope, but am sad to be reminded of the now-dead pumpkin bread in the oven.  Put things on ebay?  No internet.  It was also surprising how dark it was in the house during the day because it was still raining.  And it was getting colder.  A friend who had power, offered us his big generator, so at least we would be able to charge laptops, turn on a few lights and plug in the now-full-of-spoiled-food refrigerator.  Better late than never.  After driving all over creation to find a path to said friend's house that didn't involve blocked roads (trees were down EVERYWHERE), hoist the 275 lb generator into the Land Cruiser (which shall hereafter be known as the MEGAwhip), get it home, get it out of the truck, figure out how to start it in the pouring rain by flashlight, plug stuff into it...wait five minutes and (POOF)...power back on.  I was so drunk with joy at having power again, I didn't even think to be mad at all the aggravation we just went through for nothing.  I ran around turning all the lights on in the house like a lunatic.

Expecting the same to be true at the office the next day, I was crestfallen to find our entire side of the street dead to the world.  To add insult to injury, the neighborhood Starbucks was also dark.  Ok, Sandy, I thought, this just got real.  You can take away lots of things, but not that.  No, not that.

Once I procured a caffeinated beverage and set about having all of my calls routed to my cell phone before my customers grabbed axes and pitchforks and came looking for me, and then tried to get some work done using only a cell phone, I remembered that it was Halloween.  Since I wasn't in the mood for anything complicated and going out wasn't an option, a rotisserie chicken was calling, but what to go with it?  Recently, there have been some recipes floating around Pinterest for Green Bean Fries.  Since I am lousy at following directions, I will show you how I do it.  LAM hates green beans, but can't get enough of these, so you know they're good.  One thing to remember: buy more beans than you think you will need, because you will want more.  Promise.

Nick helped out by putting on his super suit, because everything is a little easier when you are wearing a super suit.

First, wash your green beans and snap off the stems.

Put beans into a ziploc bag with a splash of olive oil.

As Nigella Lawson says, next you squidge the bag, that is close the top and rub between your hands to coat the beans evenly.

Next, arrange beans on a baking sheet and sprinkle with Himalayan Pink Salt (yes, it tastes better, especially out of a grinder) and fresh ground pepper, then grate some Parmesan cheese.  Make sure there is space between the beans, so they have more surface area to become crispy.  Pop into the oven at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes or so.  The real recipe calls for a longer cooking time and lower oven temp, something like 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees.  They may come out better that way, but I am horribly impatient, so that doesn't work for me at all.

And voila, one quickie Halloween meal.

In an effort to find storm closure, I made a loaf of chocolate chip pumpkin bread for dessert.

Hope everyone made it through safe and sound!
-ESM